Surreal Reality
by yukikittycatofwisdom
Summary: In math, there is always one solution. Add in some variables, and there are infinite possibilites. I may have gone insane, but even so, where does love factor in?
1. Sunrise

Chapter 1: Sunrise

The halls were filled with bustling students, running around to try and find their classes on their first day of school. The usual chatter filtered slowly through the doors of the classroom. Rows of desks facing the front of the room were steadily becoming full. At the front of the room, a larger desk sat facing the students. A man sat behind it, pretending to read while matching faces to last-year's Yearbook. There were never many transfers or new students, seeing as nobody ever found Whale Island as a very kid-friendly place. But this part of the island had recently had a flow of students, resulting in the building of schools a few years ago.

The man was in his mid-twenties, wearing a dark blue suit and a pair of small sunglasses on his nose. Dark brown hair sat on his head and the beginnings of a beard were on his chin, framing blue eyes.

As the bell rang and the last stragglers made it to the room, the man stood up and produced a marker from his pocket. He quickly wrote his name on the white board, capping the black marker and turning to the class with a grin, "Konichiwa." The class blinked, immediately silent. A boy at the back of the room raised his hand slightly, "Oi, Ojii-san, it's still morning."

A small vein began to pulse in the teacher's forehead as he stole a quick glance at the yearbook, "Well…Killua-kun, you should show some respect in class or show it in detention. I'm only in my twenties." He gestured to the board, ignoring the gasps that echoed through the kids, "I'm Hanashi Leorio. No you may not call me by my given name." Leorio added, causing all the raised hands to drop back to their owner's sides.

"Now, this is math class, and as such, we'll learn _math_. As in Algebra, not 1 plus 1 equals 3, but one plus one equals _two_, got it? Oh, one more thing, who likes homework?" Multiple groans and boo's were given as responses. Leorio grinned wider, pretending to wipe sweat off his face, "Good, neither do I. So as long as we don't mess around in class, we won't have any. That sound good?"

The 45 minute period flew by quickly, filled with those dumb yet amusing first-day-get-to-know-each-other activities. By the end of class, Leorio had a pretty good idea on the different types of students he would have to handle this year. He jotted some notes down next to the names in his attendance book as the next period students flooded in to replace first period. As he stood up to give the same speech again, he peeked again to the yearbook.

First period would certainly be interesting.

XXX

It was time for lunch.

When the bell rang, indicating the end of that class, Leorio practically dived into his lunch bag. But, with the practiced composure of a teacher, he managed to grab his coat and bag and to file out behind the students, quickly heading for the door. And _then _he dived into his food.

Plopping down onto the picnic table right outside the school, he munched away on a turkey sandwich and some chips. As he did this, the teacher tried to remember all the names in his classes and match faces to them. A few were easier than others.

_Okay, first period_…The names and faces were each matched slowly. Leorio snorted softly, Killua came first to his mind, then to the green-loving Gon. After going through the rest of that class, he realized he was one short. Counting off the faces and names, Leorio tried to remember the next name. Finding he couldn't, his shoulders sagged, "Let's see…Gon, Killua….Shizuku, Hisoka…" – a shudder – "Sakura…" He named off the rest, still ending up short of one.

Interrupting Leorio's daydreaming, a harsh laugh reached through to his senses.

Jumping to his feet, the math teacher jogged towards the bitter sound, finding its source around the corner.

Three guys were laughing and circled around a huddled figure. Leorio caught a glimpse of blond hair before clearing his throat, gaining their attention. Three heads swiveled around to glare at him, then turn wary. The shortest one, one with narrow eyes and hands in his pockets, nodded towards the path. The other two nodded, the guy with a high ponytail quickly retreating and the brow-less man following suit.

As soon as all three were gone, Leorio kneeled down beside the trembling blond, "You okay?" Cold sapphire eyes met his, "Yes, thank you."

"Kurapika…" The name finally came to him, leaving his lips before he could fully register it. Kurapika frowned slightly, "Hanashi-sensei, I don't think I ever gave you permission to address me by given name." Leorio blinked, _formal much?_ He helped the blond to his feet, "Uh, sorry, I couldn't remember your surname?"

"Of course you couldn't." Kurapika brushed off some dirt on his sleeve, obviously not believing a word of it. After a few moments, his frown deepened, "Mm…Hanashi-sensei?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you let go of my arm?"

"Oh, sorry." Leorio made no move to let go. Impatience began to edge onto the blond's face, "Sensei? Is something wrong? You've cut off circulation to my arm." The teacher released the said arm quickly, taking a step back, "Oh, sorry!"

"So you've said." Kurapika muttered, turning away, "Goodbye."

"Yeah, see ya later." Leorio did his two-finger salute, marching back to his bag.

XXX

It was early in the morning, the sun hadn't even risen yet. Leorio pulled on some sweats and grabbed his keys, going out into the cool September air. He walked along the sidewalks, eventually finding himself at the park. There was nobody there and all was quiet. Unlike the big cities such as York Shin, Whale Island slept. It seemed that even the animals respected that unspoken rule.

So, as Leorio enjoyed the morning air, the fact that he happened to stumble upon a certain somebody was so strange that he had to pinch his cheek. Just to make sure he wasn't still asleep, you know?

For the second time, Leorio kneeled down beside the sleeping body.

Kurapika was curled around himself, wrapped in a thin blanket and using his red bag as a pillow. He had on the same clothes as yesterday – faded jeans, a black button-up shirt and a light gray sweater. Why would he be sleeping in the park? On the cold and dirty grass?

While Leorio was contemplating on the consequences of waking his student, Kurapika stirred, raising his head to stare at him, "…Hanashi…-sensei?" A wry smile graced his soft-looking lips, "Eheh…I'm not still dreaming, am I?" Leorio shook his head, blurting out, "Why are you sleeping in the park?"

"Why are _you_ watching me sleep?"

Leorio could almost hear the silent word _creeper_ added at the end of the question. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Touché." An awkward silence hung in the air, so thick you could probably cut it with a knife.

Kurapika looked up at the sky as the first thin rays of light crept to the surface. For the first time since meeting him, Leorio saw the blond smile. Not a wry smile like had just received, but a real, natural smile. The teacher looked up at the sky as well, watching the clouds take on an orange or pink color.

"You like sunrises?" He asked curiously, having a sudden want to know more about his student. That earned a dreamy nod, "Mmm…And sunsets."

"So that's why you slept in the park? To see the sun?" It made sense, to a certain extent. But Leorio's teacher mode was starting to kick in, "That's still no excuse. Do your parents know? Imagine how worried they must be when they find your room empty!"

Cold sapphire eyes spun to glare at him, icy and unforgiving, "No, my parents _don't know_. They don't _know_ anything. They're _dead_." Kurapika jumped to his feet, grabbing his bag and turning heel, angrily walking away.

That left Leorio to kneel, alone, on the cold ground, wondering why he had to ruin everything when he had almost gotten past the walls that surround the blond boy. The same boy who appeared out of nowhere and left without a glance back.

With only a few hours left until the school day began, the teacher hurried home in a daze, changing into his work-clothes and sipping coffee. Spinning helplessly in his favorite chair, Leorio finally decided to do some research. Logging into the school page, he scrolled through the student list and clicked the special button that only teachers had access to. Scrolling down yet another list, he found Kurapika's name.

"Kurapika Yuukio…" He tested the name, somehow it felt…wrong. He clicked on the name, waiting as the document loaded. Surprisingly, there was only about a page about the blond in the records given to the school.

He was a foster child, apparently, living with the Yuukio family. They had no information on him before being adopted, which was only about one year ago. It gave a few other things, physical traits, blood type, and age. It also gave his birthday. April first? That didn't sound right either. At the bottom of the page was his guardians' names and address.

Bookmarking the page, Leorio got up and left for work.

TBC…

(Word Count: 1535)

Yuuki: Hello~ Anyways, before I forget to mention this, Hanashi isn't really Leorio's last name, obviously, and neither is Yuukio for Kurapika~ But I don't think they were ever formally given by Togashi-san so…I made some up as I was typing nyan ^-^'

Killua: You always rush things

Yuuki: well, it was originally gonna be a one shot…and I started writing when I got the idea for this so…I already have like…the last chapter done… . I just have to fill in everything until that point…ugh don't pressure me! *whacks Karuto with fly swatter*

Karuto: wahhhh you don't even know how to spell my naaaame!

Yuuki: …though I COULD go to my bookshelf and find it in the manga just to check…pffsh I'm too tired to get up (it's 11:58 at night)

Leorio: review please *waves white flag for no reason*

Chapter Two: When Kurapika is absent on the second day of school, Leorio's decision is set – he'll go to the address listed on the school page. But when he gets there, he gets quite the surprise…


	2. Home

Chapter 2: Home

It took a lot for Leorio to space out. Okay, not _that _much. But to space out completely, in the middle of writing a practice problem on the board? Oh yeah, now _that _was something. What brought him back to reality was a paper airplane hitting him square in the nose.

And who threw it? Killua, of course.

"Everyone back to their seats!" Leorio snapped at the wild class, waiting as they quickly ran back to the desks. Although, one desk remained empty.

There was a knock on the door before another teacher walked in, she eyed the class, "Hanashi-san, is something wrong? We heard noises all the way down the hall. Are you not feeling well?"

Leorio was about to say he felt _fine_. But caught himself, realizing that he was _not _fine at _all_.

"Actually, I haven't been feeling too good." He admitted, grinning sheepishly. The woman shook her head disapprovingly, "Honestly, you overwork yourself. Go home and get some rest!"

So, he _did _go home. He even attempted to sleep. But Leorio found his thoughts kept drifting back to the address on the document. So, grabbing his jacket and keys, he didn't _stay _home.

For once, the teacher didn't feel guilty about driving around while he should be at work. It didn't happen often that he took a day off, but the disgusting feeling never did cease to sweep over him. The car slowed down as Leorio tried to find the right address number. When he finally did find it, it was different than what he imagined he would find.

There was a moving truck parked in front of the small house. A quick peek through the window proving it was already packed. The door to the home was open and Leorio could hear voices coming from inside. There were two voices, a man and a woman.

"Then _you_ go out and look for him!" The man shouted.

"We can't just _leave _a kid out on the streets! We'll be arrested!" The woman snapped back.

Leorio rang the doorbell once. All quieted and soon a man came to the door. He looked angry as he rounded the corner, "You little _brat_! Where have you _been-_ oh!" Brown eyes widened as they focused in on Leorio, "I-I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else." The man was tall, taller than Leorio, and had the startings of a beard on his tan chin. His hair was brown as well.

"Would that, ahem, 'brat' happen to go by the name of Yuukio Kurapika?" Leorio asked, forcing himself to keep a pleasant smile on his face, "Hi, I'm his teacher."

The woman then came up behind him, gray hair and brown eyes, she was only a little taller than Kurapika, "Oh, heavens, what did that child do now? I'm sorry, sir, that he's caused you any trouble."

"No, no, of course not. He hasn't done anything wrong. I'd just like to talk, that's all."

"Talk about what?" She asked suspicously. Oh yes, what was it that he wanted to talk about? He had thought they would at least invite him inside, giving him time to think of something. Leorio came up with something quickly, "He didn't show up at school today, I decided to come out looking for him since we didn't receive any notification from parents."

"We're not his parents."

"Would you mind telling me a few things about him?"

The woman sagged in defeat, "My sister, she's very rich but doesn't want to share the wealth much, gave him to us as a birthday present last year."

"She…gave you a human boy as a birthday present?"

"Mm-hmm. Her husband, Nostrade-san, has a daughter. They collect body parts."

"What a hobby."

"But Neon-san, that's the daughter, got tired of him after four years, so they gave him to us. My wife can't have children, you see." The man nodded once, "I'm afraid we can't tell you much more. She didn't really leave us with any information."

Leorio gestured towards the moving truck, "Are you leaving?"

They nodded. "But we can't seem to find that kid, so…we have to wait until he decides to show up."

Remembering what they had been saying when Leorio arrived, he blurted out an idea before really thinking it through, "I'll take him." The man's eyebrows shot up his forehead, "What?"

"I mean, if you don't mind, I'd like to…to…well, not _adopt_ him. But maybe take him under my wing, ya know?"

The woman nodded encouragingly at her husband, "We'd finally be able to get rid of the burden!" He nodded slowly, "Yes, but…Look out!"

Leorio spun around fast enough to evade the rock that had been thrown at him. Kurapika stood at the bottom of the steps, arm in a position as if he had just thrown something, which he had, and eyes like angry ice, "How _dare _you!?"

Deadly slow advancing, steps radiating strength, "Hanashi-sensei, you'll _what_? I don't remember agreeing to _any _of this!"

The woman whimpered slightly, retreating back into the house. Yuukio-san took a step back as Kurapika continued his way towards them. He stopped right in front of Leorio, "I'm not going _anywhere_ with the likes of you! Don't think you have authority over me! I belong to me, myself and I!"

The two Yuukio's darted past us, starting up the car and zooming away, "We leave him to you!" Briefly, Leorio wondered if he had just been scammed. But, a more pressing matter, he wondered if the blond would now proceed to kill him.

Instead, Kurapika was staring at the ground, "It's happening again…" He spun on his heel, about to run off, "You people always do this to me!" Leorio caught his wrist, holding him back, "Now hold on just a second!" The blond didn't turn back around, but he didn't try to run off again either. He took this as a sign to continue, "It doesn't matter, does it? You weren't sleeping in their house. I'll call them later and get the paperwork done. Wouldn't you prefer a bed instead of the ground?"

"No."

Leorio wasn't sure what question he was answering.

"Kurapika-"

"There you go again!" Kurapika pulled his arm away but didn't make a move to leave, "Hanashi-sensei, I never gave you permission to address me by given name."

"Stop that. Call me Leorio."

A blond head slowly peeked back at him, "Hana-"

"Leorio."

"…L…Leorio…-san."

It was a start.

"And what should I call you, then, Yuukio-kun?" Leorio saw his student wince slightly at the name but he remained silent. Maybe he was hesitating because he didn't want to give away his last name.

"I…don't have a surname." Kurapika turned around completely, anger vanished from his features, "Not really. Our tribe didn't have those kinds of formalities the rest of the world seems to have."

"Then what should I call you?"

"I…"

Leorio sighed slightly, placing his hand on the younger boy's shoulder, "How about we keep Yuukio-kun for now, since that's what's on the school page." A brisk nod. A quick pat and Leorio started on his way back home, "Well, come on. We might as well give you a tour of your new home."

"You'll regret this." Kurapika called after him, not moving from the spot he still stood at, "They all do. How long will you last? A week? A day? You seem like the determined type, maybe a year. Like those Yuukio's did. Determined yet weak."

Leorio whirled around but the boy had already disappeared.

XXX

A small sigh as the man continued on his way home. Kurapika leaned forward to see around the dumpster. He didn't like Leorio. But he didn't hate him, either. And _that's _what caused the dislike; because he _couldn't _hate him.

He wanted to hate Leorio, just as much as the Yuukio's and Nostrade and everyone before them. And he wanted to hate him even _more_ than the others.

Kurapika could think of many reason for this. But he knew most of them were just excuses. There was only one reason that really mattered.

He couldn't _control_ himself around the teacher.

Ever since the first auction, Kurapika had made himself an oath. That he would at least never allow them to hear his voice. That the silent treatment would be kept going for the years until his death. It had been childish, but he had managed to stick to it. Now he had broken it miserably. The Yuukio's had surely heard him and there was no doubt with Leorio. His promise had completely vanished from his mind when he overheard the last part of the conversation.

It wasn't _fair_.

Sometime in the middle of his musings, Kurapika must have dozed off because when he opened his eyes, it was dark and the moon was high above his head. With a deep breath, the blond stood and headed in the direction he had seen Leorio take.

He stopped walking, realizing he had no idea where his teacher lived.

Another sigh and he changed direction, walking back to the park. Finding the familiar spot, he sank to the floor. It was amazing how tired he could be when he'd hardly done anything that day. The blond leaned to his side, about to doze off on the soft grass again.

Last time he checked, grass wasn't _this _soft.

"I thought you'd come here." A voice growled, right beside his ear. Kurapika sat up quickly, "H-Hanashi-sensei!"

"No, LLLLLLLL-EEEEEE-OOOOO-RRRRR-IIII-OOOOOO. Say it."

"…Leorio-san, how did you blend in with the grass?" More importantly, what was he doing here? He couldn't have been waiting here this whole time…

…Right?

"Teacher's secret. Now, come on." Leorio pulled his student to his feet, dragging the boy behind him. The blond stumbled after him, trying to free his hand, "W-where are we going?"

"Home."

Kurapika couldn't remember the last time he'd heard that.

TBC…

Yuuki: HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! Guess what? I finished the first page and a half of the manga! *holds up sketchbook*

Killua: T_T forgetting something?

Yuuki: pffshhh…Yeah, I'm making Surreal Reality into a manga…my DA account it posted on my page, so take a look ;) just don't look at the Neko-san "manga" cause that…that was like a year ago and it really realllly sucked…

Gon: Yuu-chan does NOT own Hunter X Hunter

Kurapika: It all belongs to Togashi-sama

Leorio: Except for Kurapika, he belongs to me…got that? *glares at fangirls who continue ignoring him*

Kurapika: -A- Eheh…whut?

_Chapter Three: Kurapika gets a look at his new 'home'. Leorio learns a few things about the blond._


	3. Pancakes

_In the beginning, I tried to warn you, "You play with fire, it's gonna burn you." But here we are now, same situation. You never listen. I never listen, no. – _Victims of Love by Good Charlotte

Chapter 3: Pancakes

Kurapika wasn't sure what he was expecting. But as he walked through the door, he was sure that whatever it was, it surely wasn't _this_.

Leorio scratched the non-existent itch at the back of his neck with his left hand, grinning sheepishly, "Yeah, sorry about the mess." He felt something twitch in his other hand and looked down. He was still holding the blond's hand. He quickly released him, taking a step back, "I hadn't actually been expecting company."

"Hanashi-sensei is-"

"Ahem."

"I mean…Leorio-san…what is that?" Kurapika pointed at the piles of papers stacked on the desk, "Today was only the second day of the school year." The younger boy advanced on the desk, reaching out a hand to grab one of the papers. Leorio darted forward, catching his wrist, "T-that's nothing!"

He winced, scrunching his eyes shut, "Ouch…!"

"Ah, sorry!" The teacher quickly let go. Kurapika snatched up the paper and jumped a few steps back, eyes scanning the words. Leorio felt just jaw drop, seeing the boy smirk as he did so. The smirk was replaced with a surprised 'o', "This…is a medical form."

"N-not really…"

"You want to become a doctor, Hanashi-sensei? Why?"

"Many reasons. Like how it pays well." Leorio muttered, giving him the same line he had told anyone else who had ever found out about his silly little dream. Kurapika stared back down at the score on the paper, "That can't be your predominant reason…"

"Well, it is." He growled, crossing his arms over his chest. The blond didn't answer. He sighed, "Anyways, you're going to be living here from now on. So I guess we might as well clean out a room-"

"Hold on, there, Doctor. I never said I was actually agreeing to this!"

"You _can't _go on sleeping in the park. It's illegal."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"Show me the law that states 'Kurapika can't sleep in a public park' and I'll agree."

"There's no law that says _you_, specifically, can't."

"I rest my case."

"That's not what I meant! You'll be picked up and sent to an orphanage!"

"Look," Kurapika took a step forward, poking Leorio hard in the chest, "I've been staying in that same spot for a year now. Nothing's happened, the police haven't even passed by. Why? Because there _is _no police. You are _not _going to change that fact by suddenly showing up out of nowhere and claiming you'll _adopt_ me."

"I didn't actually _adopt_-"

"Right, you still have to fill out the papers. And _then _you'll adopt me. And _then _I'll just disappear again."

"Can't you last one second without arguing?" Leorio's frown deepened, "I'm just trying to help you."

"Okay, then help me with this." Kurapika leaned upward, aquamarine eyes cold and icy once again, "I have a little topic I'd like to research. You wanna be a doctor, huh? You do go to a medical school, don't you? I bet it's located in Yorkshiin." The teacher nodded slightly, finding his eyes drawing to pink lips as they pulled back in a small smirk.

"Then take me there in November. Oh, and, _Leorio_-san," The blond was now close enough that his minty breath blew on Leorio's face as he talked, "I'm looking forward to working with you. Take good care of me." With that, he took a step back, turning his back to him. Leorio blinked in confusion.

He had never thought the polite blond would ever attempt to manipulate people like he was doing now. It didn't seem to fit with his character. But obviously, Leorio had been wrong about that. Yet it still didn't fit correctly, to him.

Exhaustion finally began to creep into the teacher's system, the day's events taking its toll. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and leaning back against a wall, "What _have _I gotten myself into?"

"I told you you'd regret it." The blond whispered, almost inaudible. Leorio wanted to say _I don't regret it_ but feared getting into another argument, so he remained silent. After moments of awkward tension, Kurapika turned slightly towards him, eyes soft, "If…if you want me to leave, say the word and I'll be gone."

The silence returned, only broken by the quiet ticking of the kitchen clock. The younger boy shivered, "Well, are you going to stare at me all day or will you give me that tour you promised?" And so, Leorio and Kurapika spent the next few hours wandering around the house, attempting to clear out a room.

Soon, all of the junk Leorio couldn't remember buying was piled neatly in a small closet and the two were left to stand in an empty small room. Kurapika dropped his bag to the ground, lounging back against it on the floor, "Well, that's that. Good night, Hanashi-sensei."

"Yeah, good night." The teacher exited the room, glancing over his shoulder as he walked down the hall. He froze mid-step as the door creaked closed, his student still on the other side of the room. Rubbing at his eyes, Leorio wondered if he really was getting old.

XXX

_CRASH_!

Kurapika was jolted awake at the resonating sound. The blond sprung to his feet and out the room door, then taking the steps two at a time. He froze as he reached the kitchen doorway. Leorio leaned on the floor, scooping a bunch of pans into his arms. He looked up, smiling sheepishly, "Uh…Good morning? Hope I didn't wake you."

"…What are you doing?"

Leorio pointed to the yellowish substance all over the counter, "Well, I was _trying _to make pancakes." Some of the, ahem, 'pancake batter' began to drip off the counter top and onto the teacher's head, trickling down his face. The blond placed a hand over his own mouth, shoulders shaking slightly.

The older man gave him a quizzical look, confused at the soft sound his companion was making. Kurapika slid to the floor, holding his sides and laughing, "Y-you really are an idiot, Hanashi-sensei, aren't you?"

"Eh? Well, excuse me for trying to make you some breakfast!" Leorio crossed his arms, frowning slightly. The blond giggled –yes, _giggled_ – and crawled closer, swiping some of the batter off his face, "Hanashi-sensei, you do know you can't microwave pancakes? You have to use the stove."

"…"

"I thought so." Kurapika licked at the batter on his finger, "Hmm…well, at least it doesn't taste that bad."

"_That _bad? Let's see you do better!" Leorio challenged, holding out a wooden spoon in a sword-like manner. The student picked up a clean whisk, tapping it against his chin, "Now, now, I never said _I _could cook."

"So you're saying you're really all talk?" The teacher teased, poking the other's nose with his spoon and succeeding in getting the batter on his face. Instinctively, Kurapika went cross-eyed trying to follow the spoon. Leorio chuckled, "Look, he doesn't deny it."

"But I didn't agree either." The blond stuck his tongue out in a childish manner, standing up and dusting off the invisible dust. "Well, shall we make something else, then?"

"Like what? You can make something?" Hope began to grow in Leorio.

"I'm not sure it would be considered cooking…but we can always settle for good old fashioned cereal or toast."

And that hope was smashed to tiny bits, just like the toast the teacher decided to dissect instead of eat.

XXX

"So you divide x to the second power by x + 4? And then the same with 5x and 7?"

"Well, essentially, yes." Kurapika forced a smile to stay on his face. The teen sitting across from him nodded, "Uh…how do I do that?"

"Well what do you need to multiply x with to get x to the second power?" The blond pointed to the variables on the page, "So?"

"Uh…4?"

"No, 4 times x would be written 4x." Kurapika sighed, wondering when the other would give up and give the worksheet to him. Really, just when he was starting to get used to the idea of living with Leorio, the older man had to assign them a partner assignment. And it was for revenge. Revenge for the fact that Kurapika could not cook anything but burnt toast and a bowl of cereal.

Killua nodded, spinning the pencil between his fingers, "Then…2x?"

"No…2x times x is not x to the second power." The blond drummed his fingers along the desk, eyeing the figure that was circling the room. At the moment, he was hunched over another student's shoulder, pointing out something and helping them understand.

"Uh…"

"It's _x_." He growled, jabbing a finger at the paper, "X times x is x to the second power." Killua glanced up at him, "Oh…" With a breath of exasperation, Kurapika snatched away the paper and scribbled down the answers, muttering to his partner, "See, you write the x over 5x because it's the second number. Then subtract x to the second power + 4x from x to the second power + 5x. And what do you get?"

"…" Killua blinked, "Well…"

"A grumpy blond."

Kurapika attempted to jump out of his seat but instead bumped his head against Leorio's jaw.

XXX

"He did it on purpose!" Leorio whined to the nurse, internally laughing at the blond's expression.

"I did _not_! It's not my fault you decided to stand directly over my head!"

"But you were going to scare Killua-saaaaaan~"

"The answer was _obviously_ x! How did he get into that class if he can't even figure that simple problem out?"

"There's this thing called not-everyone-is-as-smart-as-Yuukio-kun."

"He didn't even spell his name right!"

"Weren't you the one who wrote the names at the top of the paper?"

"That was not my handwriting!"

"Oh that's right. It was too neat and cool to be your handwriting." The teacher teased, poking the blond's nose, "Yuukio-kun is weird."

The nurse nodded like a bobble head, obviously not paying attention to a single word they uttered. Kurapika crossed his arms, "Hanashi-sensei, you're not acting very mature. Aren't you supposed to set an example for all of your students?"

"How can I set an example if one of those students happens to abuse me so?" Leorio sighed dramatically, leaning against the wall for support, "Ah, how abusive Yuukio-kun is. It's just so…so terribly cruel. To force a burnt slice of bread down my throat with such ferocity."

"If I shove anything down your throat it would be my-"

"Yuukio Kurapika!" The teacher gasped, mockingly frowning with disapproval, "To even suggest that kind of thing to your teacher! Have you no shame!"

The nurse looked up now, intrigued by the conversation. Kurapika blushed – yes, blushed – and stuttered, "T-that's not- I was going to say fi-"

"Oh, I know exactly what you were going to say!" Leorio had a hard time keeping himself from laughing. Teasing his student was just too easy, too amusing. And to get such a reaction of him was equally as entertaining. Of course, what he was suggesting and what the blond had meant to say were completely different, and he knew very well that Kurapika had meant to threaten him with a punch of his fist.

Leorio sighed again, "I cannot believe you would even verbally suggest such an act. I had no idea you felt this way towards me."

"Oh, in your dreams! If you can mock me, then you're perfectly fine! Don't worry me like that!" Kurapika retorted, catching his words too late. Dread began leaking to his face, "I-I-I didn't mean that I actually w-w-"

"You were worried for little old me? I knew you cared~"

The nurse clapped her white-gloved hands, "Hey, this isn't the playground where a boy bullies his crush just to be noticed."

"Bu- he- UGH!" Kurapika marched away from the room, leaving his teacher to laugh his head off.

TBC…

Yuuki: YES! I GOT OVER 2000 WORDS!

Kurapika: 2010

Gon: …oh isn't that the year, too?

Killua: *sarcasm* no! It's 3010!

Yuuki: OH OH OH! And because I found a few songs that mildly, sorta, kinda, maybe fit the plot of this story, I'll be adding a few lines of lyrics at the top~ But note, I'm not basing the chapters off those songs, I usually find it after I'm done writing!

Leorio: AND does anybody know how to use photoshop?

Yuuki: cuz I used to use Gimp but I don't have it anymore and I can't find it anywhere, so I'm using the photoshop elements 0.7 that came with my tablet now…but I can't figure out how to save the picture in a file that I can upload onto DeviantArt T^T HELP MEEEE

Everyone: Arigatou~ Please review~


	4. Science

_Lie awake in bed at night, and think about your life. Do you want to be different? Try to let go of the truth, the battles of your youth. Cause this is just a game. It's a beautiful lie; it's the perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in. _– Beautiful Lie by 30 Seconds to Mars

Chapter 4: Science

"Okay, so maybe I crossed a line- okay, fine, a _lot _of lines… But I wanted to get you back in _some_ way." Leorio tapped on the closed door again, "Oi, Yuukio-kun, you listening? I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I said some of those things, but like I said, it's not like I could have hit you back or anything."

The door opened a slit, aquamarine orbs glaring from the darkness, "Leorio-san, a true apology doesn't come with a 'but' in the middle."

Silence settled into the hallway until Kurapika fully stepped out of the threshold, crossing his arms and staring off to the side.

"So…what do you want for dinner?" Leorio leaned back against the wall, clearing his throat. The blond's face remained stoic, "Dinner? What do you usually eat? I wouldn't really know."

"…Well, on the one hand, we could eat more of that delicious burnt toast…"

Kurapika made a face.

"…and as appetizing as that sounds, we could always order something. How about some good old pizza?"

XXX

"That…is disgusting…"

"Huh?" Leorio took another bite of his slice, "How so?" Kurapika grimaced, "Chew with your mouth closed, first of all. And secondly, do you have any idea how greasy and fattening that is?" He pointed to the pizza box, "It's blood clotting waiting to happen."

Leorio rolled his eyes, waving his own slice in front of the other's face, "C'mon, you know you want some. You agreed to order pizza."

"Only because I didn't know what it was." The blond muttered, eyeing the food.

"How can you not know what pizza is? It's like…like not knowing what a dog is!"

"…Dog…?" He blinked.

"EH!"

"Kidding." Kurapika deadpanned, "I'm still not eating this 'pizza'." The teacher grinned, eyebrows arching up, "Eh? Is it just me, or does that sound like a challenge?" The blond frowned slightly, "Hanashi-sensei, everything sounds like a challenge to you."

Leorio chuckled darkly, "Oh, so true. Hey, Yuukio-kun, are you ticklish?" Kurapika stood from his chair, taking a step back, "Oh no."

"Oh YES!"

For his part, Kurapika made it to the kitchen door.

XXX

Leorio leaned his head against his desk, staring at the paper in front of him. More grading hundreds of tests and quizzes, just as last year.

He peeked up over the stack of books, seeing his first period students bustling around the room. Others were seated at the counter or at the desks, working to fill in their worksheets. He scanned the crowd to find Kurapika in his usual spot, scribbling something on lined paper.

It was only the fourth day since meeting the blond, but he could barely remember how it was without the smart-mouthed kid. The house would seem too empty and isolated without his companion. Leorio sighed as a _smack _sound reached his ears, speaking of smart-mouthed brats…

"KILLUAAAAAAAAAAA!" Gon whined, rubbing the lump on his head, "What was that for?" Killua pointed to the sky, smirking like a Cheshire Cat, "It's going to rain tomorrow~"

Leorio looked out the window, watching an occasional cloud float across a sunny blue sky.

In the back corner, Hisoka giggled madly, his card tower falling to the ground, "_Warm gold, cold blue, just can't wait, to take you_~"

After a moment, Kurapika looked up, warily glancing over his shoulder. The jester grinned, suggestively licking his lips. Leorio cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention, "Class dismissed." The bell rang five minutes later.

XXX

"So what are you doing this weekend?" Kurapika asked, glancing at the teacher. Leorio blinked, scratching the back of his neck, "Uh…well, I didn't have anything planned." He took another bite of his sandwich, wondering why he was suddenly nervous, "…Why ask so suddenly?"

"I was just curious." The blond paused in poking at the salad in front of him, "Hmm…Hanashi-sensei…?"

"Y-yeah?" Leorio silently cursed himself for stuttering, angrily biting into his defenseless food. Kurapika leaned slightly over the table, "Let's go somewhere tomorrow. I'd rather not be stuck in your house all day."

"Yeah, sure." The older man leaned back disappointedly, not quite realizing the source of his disappointment. Of course the blond wouldn't want to be stuck at home all day. Putting aside his odd habits, the kid was still a teenager and had a lot of energy to burn. Though, as he finished off his abused food, he entertained the idea of spending the whole day alone with Kurapika for the first time.

Usually, they would part after first period, sometimes meet up for lunch, then not see each other again until Leorio got home. Knowing each other for only four days, they hadn't had to spend a weekend together. But now it was Friday, and that was about to change.

Leorio sipped at his coffee, thinking over the idea. Spending 48 hours with Kurapika, alone, in the confinement of their home? It didn't sound so bad, yet at the same time, he didn't think he'd be able to handle that many hours of the human-encyclopedia. He sighed, gathering up the trash and tossing it into the can nearby.

"Hanashi-sensei," Kurapika shook his head in disapproval, gliding past him, "Learn to keep yourself from speaking your thoughts out loud."

XXX

"Do you have any idea…" Killua muttered, "…how annoyed at the teachers I am right now?"

Kurapika ignored him, pouring water into the beaker. His lab partner paced around the table, muttering how he hated the chemistry teacher.

(A.n. - Okay, really quick, before I forget. I kept typing lap partner instead of lab. I think I caught it all, but if I missed some, don't misunderstand, kay?)

Gon smiled sheepishly, pushing the little tray of chemicals towards the blond, "We're the three person group and it's not Yuukio-san's fault you're the only person in the world with the last initial 'Z'." He turned the flame up a bit, twisting the knob, "So, while this heats up, let's learn stuff about each other?"

Killua crossed his arms behind his head, "Why the hell would we do that, baka?" Gon pouted, hurt, "Because it's fun. And since we're lab partners now, we should ask each other questions. Like…what's your favorite color? Mine is green."

"…How exciting!" His friend clapped, sarcastically listing colors, "So how about you, blondie? You like purple? Pink? Orange?" Kurapika took one look at Gon's innocent puppy face and sighed, "I don't know. Red?"

"Really?" Gon grinned, "Ne, Yuukio-san, do you like red peppers?"

"Uh, sure. Why?"

"Because they're red. Last time Killua was over, Mito-san gave us red peppers and he made a weird face!"

"I'm telling you, those vegetables are evil!" Killua hissed, flailing his arms. Kurapika reached out, "Watch out for the-"

_POOFSH!_

XXX

_Ring, ring, ring_.

The phone sang out its usual song, demanding to be answered. Leorio hurried over and snatched it off its hook, "Hello?" The nurse's voice sounded from the machine, slightly panicked, "Get down here right now. Ku-….hello?" She pulled the phone from her ear, the dial tone all that she heard. Hanging up, she was just about to dial again when Leorio rushed in through the nurse office doors. He leaned against the doorframe, "What is it? Did somebody DIE!"

"No, nobody died." She sweat dropped, "Maybe a few brain cells but…Anyways, they're back there." She waved towards the adjacent room, bustling about the office. Leorio sprinted through the other door, immediately assessing the damage.

Kurapika rolled his eyes, continuing to rub at the yellow splotches across his arm.

"What did you DO?" The teacher snatched the tissue away from him, "Don't spread it!" Killua, lounging casually in the bean bag chair, yawned, "What a loud old man."

"Killua!" Gon scolded, waving yellow arms in the air, "Sorry, sensei!" Leorio ignored them, soaking a rag in the sink. He returned and began to carefully wipe at the color on Kurapika's arm. The blond squirmed slightly, uncomfortable with the man's close proximity.

"Hanashi-sensei…" Kurapika complained, color rushing to his cheeks under his lab partners' stares. Leorio, oblivious of this, began muttering, "You're such a pain, really. Couldn't you be normal for once and _not _get into senseless trouble? Jeesh. I've worried more times these past four days than I have my entire life…"

Gon tilted his head slightly, completely forgetting about the color creeping up his arms and around his face.

"Boys," A woman swung the door open, smiling sweetly, "I came as fast as I could, are you okay?" She reached out as if to hug the two younger boys, instead she grabbed an ear in each hand, "Red peppers for dinner tonight!" Killua and Gon pouted as they were dragged away to their possible doom.

"Mito-sa~an!" Gon complained as he nearly tripped over air.

Leorio took a step back, eye scrutinizing all the bare skin he could see – which wasn't much – and making sure he had gotten each spot where the yellow color had erupted. Finally satisfied that his student was not in immediate danger of becoming a human-sized piece of macaroni, he tapped the boy on the head, ruffling the golden locks playfully, "So, what happened?"

"Science."

"Ah." He nodded thoughtfully, stroking an invisible beard.

TBC…

Yuuki: now I realize why everyone complains about Photoshop…it's evil….

Killua: *really uninterested* uh huh…

Yuuki: I forget completely how I got the first pages done…the text layers keep disappearing and reappearing at the bottom of the page….

Gon: reviews please~

Everyone: ARIGATOU~


	5. Improvising

_So lay down, the threat is real, when his sight goes red again. Seeing red again, seeing red again. _– The Red by Chevelle

Chapter 5: Improvising

"L-Leorio…" A pretty blonde whimpered, clinging tightly to the older man's arm. Leorio gently stroked the blonde's head, fingering the soft strands, "Now what's a cute little thing like you have to cry for? Why're you hiding that pretty little face?" He tried to make her look up at him, but she refused to raise her head, staring intently at the ground.

"I-I-I…" The girl's voice went up an octave as she stuttered incoherently. Leorio blinked as she drew closer to him, slowly lifting her delicate face.

Kurapika smirked up at him, a blaring sound erupting out from nowhere.

"BREEPBREEPBREEP! BREEEEP! BREEP! BREEEP!"

Leorio groaned, blindly groping for the alarm clock. Finally silencing the evil machine, the teacher nuzzled his pillow, attempting to fall asleep again. A cold hand on his cheek kept him from resuming his dream. Hot breath blew on his ear, "Wake up, Le-o-ri-o-sa-n."

"Yes, babe?" Leorio mumbled, just to spite the blond, as he sat up. Kurapika stepped back, hands folded behind his back, "It's nine in the morning."

"Then why'd you wake me up?" Leorio complained, having an urge to tackle the blond in frustration, "It's Saturday!" Kurapika looked down at the ground, shifting his weight to one leg and tapping his toes against the floor. The older man's eyes softened as he reached out, ruffling the boy's hair, "So, let's go out."

XXX

Kurapika leaned against the wall in "his" room, bored out of his mind. Leorio was taking his shower, claiming that he smelled like something dead and would save the blond some embarrassment by cleaning up. And this left the blond with nothing to do until he was done.

The room was still mostly empty. There was a small stack of books and papers from school in the corner, right beside the blond's red bag. Inside the bag, there were only a few pieces of clothing and some mementos. A futon was spread neatly beneath the bag.

The walls were white and bare, the small closet empty and dull. The window had blue curtains drawn tightly, the only speck of color in the entire room. And lastly, a small lamp sat on the window sill, there only because Leorio insisted that he needed a light source in his room.

The room was large, making it seem impossibly isolated.

"We should get some paint or something."

Kurapika stifled a gasp, turning to find Leorio behind him. The man was leaning against the door frame, clad in jeans and a regular gray T-shirt.

"Paint?" The blond mused, attempting to hide the fact that his teacher had managed to startle him. Leorio nodded, sending drops of water from his hair, "And furniture, too. Like an actual bed and a desk or something…" He grinned, "Well, no use standing around. Let's go." Leorio stuffed his wallet into his pocket and jingled the car keys, "Hey, you know how to drive?"

"No."

"Didn't think so." The older man chuckled, sliding into the driver's seat. Kurapika eyed the car before pulling the door open, sitting next to his teacher, "Where are we going?"

"Well, Whale Island is lovely, really. But you have to go to the other side of the island to find anything fun." Leorio drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, pulling away from the house and onto the main road.

The blond gazed out the window, observing the scenery change the longer they drove. Eventually, they found themselves in a small city-like place. It wasn't a full-out city, but in a few years, it would come very close.

The car was parked and left in a packed parking lot as the two started off to search the stores.

"What is it that we're looking for, Hanashi-sensei?" Kurapika looked away from the store's windows. The teacher tapped his forehead, "Hmm…how about some clothes for you? You've been switching back and forth with what you've got for a while now."

"It's not my fault _they _decided to get the house knocked down." He muttered, picking up the pace. Leorio shrugged, pointing to the store across the street, "How about that one?" Kurapika turned to glance at the store and halted, staring wide eyed at the teacher.

"What?" Leorio frowned, still not having looked at the store he had randomly chosen, "What's wrong with it?" Kurapika covered his eyes with his hands, "Hanashi-sensei, that's a Toy Store."

"Oh, I guess you can't really wear a Barbie or Elmo or-"

"No, it's a _Toy_ Store." Kurapika resumed his quickened pace.

"Oh."

XXX

"This one seems safe." Kurapika muttered, opening the door to another random store without so much as glancing at the window. Leorio trailed closely behind him, "Alright! My paycheck's been burning a hole in my pocket, you know?"

It was a relatively normal looking place, clothes covered the walls and shelves as far as the eye could see. There was a lone register in the middle of the room, in plain view from every corner of the room. A man lounged back in the chair, seemingly asleep.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's browse." Leorio pushed the blond ahead, towards the closest row of clothes.

"How about this one?"

Kurapika sighed, almost afraid to look at the clothing his teacher had picked up. Those words had never proven to be a good sign so far this day. The older man had chosen a simple striped black and white long-sleeved shirt along with dark blue jeans.

"For the first time you have randomly chosen something not entirely horrible." The blond muttered, continuing down the aisle. Leorio blinked, "Is that a yes? I can't tell." After waiting a few moments without an answer, he decided to place it in the basket he had picked up from the entrance.

After endless stuffing random clothing in the basket and wandering, Leorio realized two things. The man behind the register had gone and left doughnuts unguarded on the desk. And, more importantly – yes, something _more _important than unguarded doughnuts – Kurapika was nowhere to be seen.

Just as the thoughts passed through his mind, a scream reached his ears.

Leorio dropped the basket, running as fast as he could in the very crowded store. Rounding past the rows and rows of dresses, he found the two missing people.

"Lecher! Old man! PERVERT!" Kurapika yelled furiously, lashing at the man with a dress – most likely grabbed from the racks nearby. The man cowered on the floor, taking the full impact of Kurapika's pink frilled wrath.

"Wow," Leorio whistled, "I never knew dresses could be so violent." The blond huffed, relinquishing his attacks, "Watch out, Hanashi-sensei, you're next."

"You're not really considering whipping me with a pink, frilly dress." Leorio scoffed disbelievingly. The man crawled away as Kurapika finally dropped the dress.

"I wouldn't dream of it." He smiled cruelly, reaching out to pick up a purse with a long strap.

"You wouldn't!" The teacher took a cautious step back. Kurapika strode forward confidently, "We are gathered here today in remembrance of Hanashi Leorio, except that there's no one here. He died by a tragic accident involving a cute little Hello Kitty purse."

Leorio spun, ducking behind the racks of dresses just as the purse whizzed by his head, "Yuukio-ku~un!" He whined, dashing past more dresses. Turning sharply, the teacher found himself facing a wall, covered with shelves of underwear and bras. Gulping, he turned to come face to face with Hello Kitty.

Kurapika held it up to his face, smirking with triumph, "It's like a game of cat and mouse."

"Let me guess, I'm the mouse." The older man backed up against the shelf, a price tag digging into his back. His student narrowed his eyes as his smile grew bigger, "But of course, _mon âme_. Any last words?"

"…Why were you in the women's section anyways?"

_SMACK_

XXX

Leorio quickly shut the trunk of his car after putting the bag of clothing in. Jogging over to the door, he started up the car, "Yuukio-kun is cruel." He whined. Kurapika leaned his head against the window, "You accused me of being a woman."

"_You_ disfigured my face!" The teacher pointed to the bulging, red, hand-shaped mark on his cheek. The blond blinked, barely sparing him a glance, "It doesn't look any different to me. If anything, this is an improvement."

"This is the thank you I get for buying you something?" Leorio complained, trying not to smile when his companion quieted. As the blond pouted, eyebrows furrowed together, the teacher's smile became a half-pout-half-smile expression, and he was glad the other wasn't paying attention to him at the moment.

"Thank you." Kurapika leaned back against the seat, a ghost of a whisper. "And you're welcome." Leorio smiled contentedly, driving comfortably down the street.

"Where to now?" Kurapika returned to staring out the window, "Don't tell me we have to do more shopping?" The teacher drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, "Hmm…well, Yuukio-kun, would you like to go to the carnival?"

"Carnival?" The blond murmured, racking his mind for the meaning of the word, "Like a park?"

"You could say that. So I'll take that as a yes, ne?" Leorio peeked at the other's face, "Eh, so it's a date!"

"Would you like a matching bruise on the other side of your face, Hanashi-sensei? I would gladly provide you."

XXX

A clown greeted them at the entrance, pulling a map from his small car and presenting it to them. Kurapika eyed the car warily, "Is this a circus?"

"Carnival, circus, what's the difference?" Leorio stroked his chin, "Anyways, this place is like a combination. And it's only around once every year." _Plus, entrance is free_. He added in his mind, ever the money-saver.

Another clown approached them, smiling goofily. He held up a hand then reached into his pocket. A look as if pulling very hard crossed his face until flowers exploded from the pocket.

"Make up your mind; are they clowns, mimes, or magicians?" Kurapika muttered, unimpressed. The clown rocked back and forth on his heels, like a scolded child. Jumping back to life, he pulled a bouquet of daisies from his other pocket, brandishing them like diamonds.

"Does he want a tip or something?" The blond sweat dropped as the man began to dance strangely. Leorio scratched the back of his neck, "I think this is the clown version of flirtation." The clown batted his eyelashes rapidly, clasping his hands together and taking on a bashful pose. Leorio snickered, turning and walking towards the cotton candy cart.

"Hanashi-sensei!" Kurapika quickly escaped the clown's attempt to embrace him, hurrying back to the teacher's side. The older man exchanged the money for two cones of pink and blue fluffy goodness, handing one to the blond, "Sorry, shortie, but I guess even wearing that shirt, you still haven't convinced anyone."

"Eh?"

"Nothing." Leorio took a mouthful of candy, content to keep any more bruises from his face. Kurapika had a well-fitting red and white Chinese-styled shirt and blue jeans. Leorio had insisted on the shirt because it made it obvious that there was _no _way a girl could be _that _flat-chested. Therefore saving the blond from any embarrassing explanations. But the store clerk and the clown had just proven Leorio's idea to be a failure.

After walking aimlessly for a while, long enough for Leorio to finish half of his cotton candy, he decided they should play a game. "Okay, how about-"

"No! Don't say it!" Kurapika swatted at the teacher's hand, pointing to the tent across from the one he had just chosen, "Those words are cursed. We're going to that one." Before any argument could ensue, the student hurried over to the randomly chosen tent. Leorio shrugged, following after.

They entered the tent just as someone hopped onto the small stage. The woman smiled hugely, "Okay, take your seats and we will begin!" Leorio and Kurapika took the last empty seats in the last row, right beside the air conditioning box.

"Seat numbers 3, 13, 24, and 27, please come to the front." She motioned to the back of the chairs. Leorio twisted around to look at the number on his chair, his companion and the rest of the room doing the same. Kurapika quickly pressed his back to the chair, "Hey, Hanashi-sensei, switch seats with me."

"Huh, why?"

"Just-"

"Um, hello?" The woman waved at the two of them, "You're number 27."

Kurapika smiled sheepishly as the teacher pushed him towards the stage. Briskly walking forward, the blond made his way to stand beside the others.

"Please introduce yourselves." The woman twirled the microphone cord in her fingers. Number 3 was a short, black-haired girl with violet eyes, "Yuei." Beside her, a familiar sounding voice snickered as he brushed off the hooded coat, "Hisoka." Evil giggle, evil giggle. Kurapika shuddered, trying to look anywhere but at his classmate. The number 13, eh?

Number 24, a large, balding man, crossed and uncrossed his arms repeatedly, "Wong." Kurapika gulped as the man inched closer, "Uh…I'm…K-Kurapika." He mentally kicked himself for stuttering at hearing the familiar chuckle that could only belong to his teacher. Leorio gave him a thumbs up when he glanced to the back row.

"Okay, Yu-chan, take a seat here." She tapped the chair placed on the stage furthest to the right. "Wong-kun here. Hisoka-kun here, and Pika-chan here." She tapped each chair accordingly. Wong scooted his chair closer to the girl beside him as the hostess turned back to the audience. Hisoka crossed his legs and our blond found himself wondering what the demented magician was doing at this carnival/circus in the first place.

"You're all wondering what the game is, right? Well, it just so happens to be…Improv!" She grinned, "Wong-kun, please say a letter."

_Probably doesn't know the alphabet. _Kurapika thought, leaning back in his chair.

"W."

_Figures._

"Okay, Yu-chan, a place?"

_Does she have a voice, folks?_

"Library."

_Yup, but she can't say more than one word at a time._

"Good. Hisoka-kun? A situation?"

_Oh, this'll be good._

"Murder case." Evil giggle, evil giggle.

_Might as well write a big I'M A PHYCOPATH on his forehead._

"And lastly, Pika-chan, start us off. Your line must start with a W. And the next person will go down the alphabet. You're in a library; the situation is a murder case."

_Here lies Kurapika, death by embarrassment. I can see the tombstone now._

"…What was that noise?" The blond forced a smile to his face. Yuei blinked, pointing to herself when she realized it was her turn, "Xylophones are out of the question."

_Six words? Amazing._

"You don't know anything, do you?" Wong grinned in triumph, very proud of himself. Hisoka snickered, "Zebras are delicious." He waggled his eyebrows, motioning to the black and white striped shirt the black-haired girl was wearing. Evil giggle, evil giggle.

_Typical._

"At least there's one sane person here." Kurapika muttered, knowing this was completely and utterly wrong. Yuei yawned, running her fingers through her short hair, "But I'm sure I heard a noise as well."

_Nine words, a new record._

"Can't we just ignore it?" Wong answered after a moment, probably singing the alphabet in his head. Hisoka giggled again, "Don't question the shortness."

"Evil giggle, evil giggle…" Kurapika's hand shot to his mouth, realizing he'd spoken out loud. Oh no, being near Leorio all the time really was affecting him. Yuei raised a fine eyebrow, "Finally, someone understands."

"Guys, focus." The big man scratched his bulging stomach. Hisoka tipped his chair back, "How naïve. Isn't it obvious what happened?" Our blond tilted his head curiously, the situation completely forgotten, "It isn't." Yuei frowned, "Just tell us already."

"Cool stuff?" Wong laughed. The woman made a buzzing sound, "Wrong, it's supposed to be a K. Cool is spelled with a C. Sorry, Wong-kun, you're out."

Wong yelled unintelligibly as he stormed out of the tent.

"Hisoka-kun, start at K." The woman sweat dropped, pulling Wong's abandoned chair away from the stage. Hisoka grinned widely, "Kurapika, wouldn't you like to know." Evil giggle…

"Like to know? I'd love to." The blond slide his chair slightly away, beginning to feel as if he should leave quickly. Yuei straightened up, "My, my, seems like you know something, Hisoka." The magician looked out into the audience, finding Leorio in the last row, "No, I know _everything_."

"Oh, just say it already!" Kurapika hissed, glaring with cold aquamarine orbs. The girl's frown deepened, "Please?"

"Questioning doesn't need to be held. I know the culprit." Evil giggle…

"Right, we know that already."

"Say it straight out, Hisoka."

"That wouldn't be any fun." Evil giggle, evil giggle.

"Unnerving your tone is, you know."

"Very unnerving."

"Why is that nobody plays the game correctly?" Evil giggle, evil giggle.

"X-rays and their radiation mess with the mind."

"Yes, that was completely random."

"Zoning in on the obvious would lead you directly to the answer." Evil giggle…

"Alright, just tell us!" Kurapika shot up to his feet, toppling the chair back with the action. "Behave." Yuei cautioned, the words just so happening to fit with the pattern. Hisoka smirked, "Could it be that…?"

"Don't play games." Kurapika glared down at the stormy gray eyes. Yuei looked back and forth between the two, "Exactly."

"Forgot what happened?"

"Go to hell."

"Hey!"

"I haven't forgotten, I'm sure."

"Just how many times will you evade the point?" Kurapika clenched his hands into fists in frustration. Yuei shook her head, "This is supposed to be a game-"

"Out. Hisoka-kun, the letter's K again." The woman waved her away. Yuei chewed on her lip, finally nodding and walking back into the audience. Hisoka smirked wider, leaning up, "Kuruta boy, how long do you plan to play this game?" He stood and confidently exited the tent.

The hostess blinked, "Wait, what about the game? H-…oh well. Pika-chan wins!" She clapped excitedly. Leorio hurried up to the stage as people began to leave, "Hey, Yuukio-kun, what was that?"

"Leorio-san, when is your next medical school exam?" Kurapika crossed his arms, looking down at an angle so that his bangs covered his eyes. The teacher frowned, "It's not until December."

"That's too bad. You should get studying; it's been rescheduled to late September." The blond shouldered past the older man, making his way to the exit, "I don't have all that much time left, anyways."

TBC…

Yuuki: O_O Whoa, plot bunny ran wild, this was NOT supposed to end on a serious note…

Killua: ._. wait, does that mean you're not going to use the thing with the r- *gets pummeled with a dictionary*

Yuuki: pffsh, no way. But AHHH this chapter is so LONG! And I'm gonna have to draw this whole thing out in a month! *dies*

Leorio: Hey, how come blondie gets to always have the last say? D8

Kurapika: …*glances up from book* oh, you didn't tell him?

Leorio: tell me what? D8

Yuuki: *_*

Killua: Dude, you're uke

Leorio: …! Nonono! NO! NO! NONO! NONONO! NOOO!

Yuuki: Now wait a sec, I never said that! D= I just SAID I've only seen ONE doujin where they make Leo-tan uke and Kura seme…but it was one of those two page not-full-out-smexy-yaoi-ness doujins! MYAOU!  
Everyone: Arigatou and please review!


	6. Rabbit

_In your creation, heaven did decree, that in your arms sweet death should dwell _– Deep Silent Complete by Nightwish

Chapter 6: Rabbit

He had done _that _again.

Kurapika jammed a toothpick into the restroom lock. Making sure no one else was in the room, the blond removed his hand from his face, looking into the mirror.

He hadn't wanted to sound harsh, even if Leorio deserved it. Yet the older man _didn't_ deserve that tone. It wasn't _Leorio's_ fault that he couldn't hate the teacher. And slowly, the idea of spending his time in the small home didn't seem so horrible. Five days…five days was all it took for that man to break him down this far. It wasn't _fair_.

The blond glared at his reflection, at the crimson depths he saw there.

There was a knock on the door, "Yuukio-kun?" Kurapika ignored him, climbing onto the counter and pushing open the small window. Grabbing hold of the ledge, the blond hoisted himself over the mirrors, easily sliding through the small opening. Swinging his legs over, Kurapika was just about to jump to the ground when the window slammed shut, catching the long sleeve of his shirt.

"You have got to be kidding me…" He hissed, tugging until the fabric ripped, causing him to fall off the ledge.

"It's raining blondies!" Yuei yelped as she narrowly avoided being hit. She brushed invisible dust off her black skirt. Kurapika sat up, rubbing the growing lump on his head, "Itte…" Yuei blinked, glancing up, "Hmm…How'd you get up there, blondie?" Contrary to what he had believed earlier, the girl wasn't as quiet and polite as she appeared to be.

The sound of footsteps through the grass reached his ears as Leorio rounded the corner. Quickly, Kurapika grabbed the girl's arm and ran to the other side of the restroom building, continuing on to get lost in the immense crowd.

"Where are we going? Yoo-hoo, blondie? Oi, Pika-chan!" Yuei clenched her hand to a fist, managing to spin the boy around to face her. "That's better. Now why are we running from Hanashi-sensei, eh?"

"You know him…?" Kurapika released her arm, fidgeting nervously. She pouted, hurt, "Huh? Of course, I'm in your first period class! Pika-chan, that's mean. You're not much of a ladies' man, are you? Don't you know who's in your class or not?"

"Possibly not." The blond admitted. The only other students he knew by name were Gon, Killua, and – shudder – Hisoka.

Somewhere in the same carnival, a man with orange hair was making a card pyramid. He sneezed, causing the tower to fall and had a laughing fit.

Kurapika shivered, "I-I'm sorry." He received a raspberry, "Apology not accepted. You have to make it up to me." The blond forced a smile to his face, "And I would do that by…?"

"Well…" A blush crept to the girl's cheeks as she cupped them with her hands, kicking the ground with her foot lightly, "You seem to know Hanashi-sensei well, ne?"

"You…could say that." _Except that I don't _want_ to know anything about that man._

"Could you…possibly…" Yuei grinned widely, "In-tro-duce us?" Kurapika tilted his head slightly, "Huh? Why?"

_Don't tell me she actually likes him _that_ way. He's a teacher and always smells like cologne and aftershave. Those ties he wears can be so distracting. Especially the yellow one. It's so bright and cheery, I just want to pull it off and tear it to shreds. And whenever he laughs there's this tiny dimple on his cheek. I sort of want to poke it…Oh my god…what am I thinking? I'm not supposed to notice or care about these things! I took up a whole paragraph just thinking about my _teacher_!_

"You see…I sort of…" She rubbed her hands together, chuckling darkly, "…hope that I can hack onto his computer and change my grade. First week of school and I already have a C!"

"So you did have an ulterior motive."

"Hey, I just like to look at the situation from all angles!" Yuei shrugged, "Oh, looking from another angle…well, blondie, just to let you know, Hanashi-sensei is standing right behind you."

"Eh!" Kurapika whirled around, coming face to face with…air. "H-huh…?"

"Myaou~" The girl pawed at the empty space with her hands, "Just kidding! Made you look." Yuei swung her arm around his shoulders, grinning like a cat, "Pika-chan, you and I are gonna get along just fi~ine."

He laughed nervously, "I wonder, is that a good thing?" She snickered, "Yep, I like you more and more."

XXX

It had been over an hour since Kurapika had run off, and now Leorio was beginning to worry. The blond had used that strange voice again, the same one he had used to demand he be taken to Yorkshiin. The boy's persona changed as well, as if he was a different person.

Leorio sighed, running his hand through his hair as he scanned the crowd, "Where could you be…?"

XXX

"Pika-chan?" Yuei crossed her arms behind her back, looking up to the sky. Kurapika kicked a stone out in front of him, "Hmm?"

"What…did Hisoka say?"

The blond paused in his abuse of the rock, staring unblinkingly at the ground. He could almost feel the burning behind his eyes, and he wanted to reply _you're awfully observant, aren't you? _but refrained from doing so. Taking a deep breath, he shrugged, "You spoke his name in such familiarity."

Yuei blinked before snickering, "Wow, Hanashi-sensei sure has his work cut out for him. Avoiding the topic, eh?"

"Aren't you doing the same?"

She let out a low whistle, "I'm impressed. And that's not something I say lightly." The girl spun her arm, rolling her shoulder, "Hmm…Ne, Pika-chan. I heard this interesting story once. It was about a small, white rabbit with ruby eyes."

Yuei lay back on the grass, waiting for the blond to sit down before continuing.

"The rabbit had a happy life, he lived with his family and they were carefree and content with what they had. They didn't have so many luxuries, living secluded in the forest, but they were fine with that, even if sometimes it was hard. The rabbits lived in a rabbit community, so there were other families living close by. But even so, there weren't many other creatures in their part of the forest.

"One day, Rabbit decided to follow the older rabbit children as they went out to collect food. It was their chore to feed the community, but not even the adult rabbits were allowed to go a certain distance from home. As the teenagers gathered food, Rabbit noticed his older sister quietly hopping away from the group, disappearing behind some bushes. A good distance from the allowed perimeter, Sister Rabbit paused and sat, as if waiting for something. Finally, a long shape slithered closer.

"A snake coiled itself around Sister Rabbit, almost gently, as its tongue flickered, _You haven't visssited in ssso long. _Rabbit, eyeing the strange scar on its head, wasn't sure what to do. Quickly, he turned and hopped back home. Should he warn his parents of the snake? But Sister Rabbit had smiled, she hadn't seemed to be afraid of it. Quite the opposite, she had looked at the snake in a very similar gaze to his parent's as they watched each other.

"But a snake was a snake, it was dangerous. Rabbit skidded to a halt, taking a deep breath. He had decided; he wouldn't rat out his sister. He cared too much about how she would react. This was a dire mistake. Only a few days later, Sister Rabbit went out with the other teenage rabbits to collect food. Rabbit didn't follow this time, but in his mind's eye he could imagine her slipping away from the group.

"The other rabbits came home, Sister Rabbit didn't return. They ate, went to sleep, woke up the next day. Sister Rabbit still hadn't come back. Father Rabbit gathered the other men, and then set out to search for her. Mother Rabbit, patted Rabbit's head, heading out to care for the baby Rabbits as every day. As soon as she was gone, Rabbit sobbed. He knew what had happened to his sister, he was sure the snake had eaten her.

"He realized something, then. The snake was probably still out in the forest, lying in wait for its next victim. Which could very well be his father, or his cousin, or his friend. In determination, Rabbit began to hop towards the forest, just as snakes slithered and fell upon the community, screeches and screams ringing in his ears. He fell unconscious. When Rabbit awoke, there was nothing left of the community. Everyone was gone, not even a clump of fur remained. He didn't shed a tear, only set out to where he had first seen the snake with the scarred forehead. Arriving at his destination, Rabbit vowed to find and kill the snakes who had taken everything precious.

"Rabbit grew strong, met other animals and manipulated them, even fellow rabbits. Then he met a special animal. It walked on two legs, and caught him with five-fingered hands. The human smiled and brought him home. Once there, Rabbit was given food and water, shelter, anything he needed. But in the tank beside his cage, was the snake. The snake with the scarred forehead. With all his strength, Rabbit pushed his cage into the tank, shattering the glass just as the human came in. The human, oblivious to the deadly animal on the loose, smiled at Rabbit, speaking of his adventures and of how much he loved Rabbit. Rabbit loved him, too, but gaped in horror as the snake slithered around the human.

"Despite his cries and protests, Rabbit was forced to watch the gruesome death of his beloved human. As the human became no more, the snake slithered between the bars of the rabbit cage. With a wicked smirk as only a snake can, Rabbit's soul joined the human's in whatever is left after death, and his body with the human's inside the snake's long body. The snake escaped, out through the window and out into the world."

Yuei continued to stare up at the sky, crossing her legs. Kurapika looked up as well, watching the clouds float across the sky, "What a terrible story." She shrugged, sitting up, "There's a moral, of course. A lesson to be learned."

"And what would that be?"

"Revenge is like pointing a finger." Yuei raised her hand and pointed her index finger at the blond, "You pass judgment upon someone, you affect them. But three fingers are pointing back at yourself. Whatever judgment is passed, will affect you three times as much. And then your thumb is pointed to the side. You affect the people around you the most, the judgment being the biggest for them."

Kurapika remained quiet for a moment, gazing casually at the hand pointing at him. Frowning, he raised his own hand, "I pass judgment upon whomever I wish to. I have already been affected, and the people around me were already affected."

"There are other people, who aren't dead."

"Who told you that story?"

"My mother. It's a bedtime story." Yuei yawned, "See? Made me sleepy." The blond lowered his hand, "If you were to chose, who would you play in this story?" She leaned lazily on her elbows, "I would have to say…one of the animals the Rabbit met on his journey of strength. A minor character."

"Then the Rabbit should continue his quest, leaving the minor character behind." Kurapika stood, striding away with all the dignity he could muster. Yuei stood as well, not taking a step to follow him, "Please, Kurapika-san, don't let Hanashi-sensei become that human."

"He won't play the part of the human." Kurapika turned, involuntarily smirking at her intake of breath, "Because I do not, and never will, love him."

TBC…

Yuuki: *sulking in corner of shame* Another…serious note…I'm not sure how much more my mind can take… Quick, do something funny!

Kurapika: *yawns and rubs sleepy eyes* Huh?

Leorio: *follows him down the stairs* Good morning! *all happy like*

Gon: Leorio seems happy this morning….

Killua: Oi, why'd ya get up so late today? *all suspicious like*

Leorio: *all perverted like* I'll explain when you're older

Kurapika: *whacks him with book* Stop suggesting things that didn't happen!

Yuuki: review please~ It'll make me update faster~ Yes, I AM bribing you! 8D

Everyone: ARIGATOU!


	7. Sleeping Vulnerability

_Hold it together, birds of a feather. Nothing but lies and crooked wings. _– Evil Angel by Breaking Benjamin

Chapter 7: Sleeping Vulnerability

"Hanashi-sensei…"

Leorio looked heaven ward, slowly turning around in relief. As his gaze traveled over the familiar blond head, anger leaked onto his face, "Yuukio Kurapika! If I was your actual dad, you would be in _so_ much trouble…" The teacher trailed off, watching the blond wipe that back of his hand across his face before looking up, "I want to go home."

Kurapika held his head up, lips drawn to a thin line, "Leorio-san." Leorio blinked, recovering from shock, "Oh, um, okay. Let's go." They began walking towards the parking lot.

_I want to go home. _He had said. The word kept echoing in the teacher's mind – _home_. It didn't seem like much, but somehow it made everything seem to come from a different perspective. The two of them shared a house, they lived together in a single _home_. He glanced down at the student, noticing the ripped sleeve and the dark rings under aquamarine eyes.

"I was worried." The words slipped out, and the small hope he hadn't been heard was quickly crushed. Kurapika stopped walking, staring up at him, wide-eyed. Almost inaudibly, the blond whimpered, "No."

"It's just that, you were gone for so long and people were leaving…" _I thought you had left me._

"But…you weren't actually worried." Kurapika smiled forcibly, pleading with the teacher to agree. Leorio shook his head slightly, "I was, seriously. It's not like this place is dangerous, it's safe here. But I looked everywhere, and you weren't anywhere. I even went around the back of the tents and to the parking lot. I didn't think anything really bad had happened to you but…" _I can't stand to see you get hurt, I can't stand not knowing if you're okay or not. _

"I guess what I'm trying to say," Leorio nervously scratched the back of his neck, "is that you-"

But he didn't get to say what he meant. The remaining people squealed and ran as rain began to pour. Just moments ago, the sky had been clear and cloudless. Now it was gray and cold as water fell from the heavens.

Kurapika didn't flinch, even as the rain thoroughly drenched him. Leorio sighed, seeking out the nearest form of shelter. This form just so happened to be one of the last remaining tents. Leorio made a beeline for the tent, the blond following reluctantly. He let out the breath he had been holding, wringing water from his shirt, "I guess we should stay in here until it stops, then head home." Momentarily, the teacher thought of yesterday's first period.

_Killua pointed to the sky, smirking like a Cheshire Cat, "It's going to rain tomorrow~"_

Maybe he wanted to be weather man when he was older. Or maybe it had been a joke that Leorio had took as a serious prediction.

"Welcome to my shop."

The two looked through the dim light to a huddled figure. An old woman, clad in purple silk, held up a small silver tray. Leorio leaned over the blond's shoulder as he peered at the tray. On it was a pair of matching bracelets. They had a simple design; completely black, save for a small red jewel surrounded by a small circle of silver.

"What's this?" Kurapika asked, taking one of the offered bracelets. The woman held the tray expectantly towards Leorio, until he also took the other. She smiled, waiting patiently as they placed the bracelets on their wrists.

Leorio jumped slightly as it clicked shut, fitting perfectly against his skin. He couldn't slide it off, but it wasn't tight either. The woman bowed her head slightly, "I must close shop. Consider this a gift for visiting our carnival today." They stood, warily exiting the tent into the rain.

"That was…strange…" Kurapika held out his hand, observing the red jewel, "I hadn't meant to even pick it up, then suddenly it was already around my wrist." The teacher held his arms above his head, "Note to self, Kurapika takes jewelry from strangers without question; must make sure he won't fall for the kind-looking man saying 'I have a puppy for you, it's in my car so come with me' trick."

Taking satisfaction in the blond's annoyed glare, Leorio hurried through the nearly abandoned field until stumbling across a telephone booth. He pulled his companion along and shut the door behind him.

Kurapika glanced back down at the bracelet, eyeing the jewel. It was blue. "Hanashi-sensei-"

The blond stiffened as he realized the close proximity the phone booth had caused. Leorio glanced down at the sudden silence of his student, the action causing his student to tilt back his head in order to keep from hitting the older man's chin. Coughing, Kurapika looked off to the side, "Maybe we should find another place."

Seeing as the teacher made no move to open the door, Kurapika reached around him and searched for the door knob. He blinked as his hand found only air. Pushing against the door, it wouldn't budge. Meaning they were trapped in the phone booth until the rain stopped and somebody passed by. And even with the phone right beside them, there was no one to call.

"We're stuck here? Oh, my feet hurt just thinking about it!" Leorio complained, crossing his arms and hitting the blond's shoulder in the process. "Sorry."

"We can take turns sitting." Kurapika offered, gesturing to the limited space on the floor. Leorio shrugged, attempting to sit and failing. The blond massaged his forehead, "Slide to the ground so you don't break my feet with your tremendous weight." The teacher smiled sheepishly, sliding his back against the wall and trying to have minimum contact with the other until he reached the ground, legs huddled close to his body.

Kurapika leaned against the jammed door, sighing, "Jeesh."

They had barely gone through two minutes when Leorio felt his legs begin to fall asleep, pins and needles stabbing mercilessly at his skin. Slowly, and without disturbing his companion, he stretched out one leg slightly. While moving just a bit, he accidently hit the other's foot. Kurapika, who had been deep in thought, jumped in surprise, tripping over the outstretched leg.

He yelped as he landed, sprawled, across the teacher's lap, head hitting the man's chest hard. A harsh _pop_ was barely audible above the pounding rain. To keep from losing his balance, Leorio's arms instinctively came around the boy's lower back. The soft red fabric had bunched up, revealing a small strip of pale skin along his stomach.

Kurapika blushed, putting great effort into not reactively punching the living daylights out of his teacher. Leorio raised his hands quickly, releasing the hold he had before that effort diminished. If the last five days had proven anything, Kurapika had a good arm.

But he didn't move, didn't even lift his head from the older man's chest. Leorio shifted, lightly placing a hand on the blond's shoulder.

And was rewarded with his student muffling a cry by biting the man's arm roughly.

"What the hell-!"

Kurapika bolted to a sitting position, chewing mercilessly into his lip until blood dripped down his chin. Leorio reached a hand out, "You bit me! You freakin' _bit_ me!" The blond flinched away from the hand, his right arm dangling awkwardly at his side, and muttered something that rhymed with 'ducking mass mole'. Which surprised the teacher greatly, but did nothing to dim his annoyance.

"You could've _told _me you dislocated your shoulder! _How_ is that possible, anyway? By _falling in a phone booth_." Leorio took hold of his arm, ignoring the feeble protests, quickly and easily popping the shoulder back into place. Kurapika froze, eyes scrunched shut. He slowly opened his eyes, confusion written plainly across his face, "It…stopped hurting…"

"Of course. It was dislocated, not broken."

The blond carefully stretched his fingers, flexing his wrist and rolling his shoulder. The teacher sighed, leaning back against the wall of the phone booth. If they had to wait in their small confinement much longer, he wondered if they would end up actually breaking a bone. Which seemed stupid, to get hurt in such a danger-less place.

"Thank you."

Kurapika slid to the other end of the booth, as far as the space would allow him. Leaning his head against the cool glass, his eyes fluttered shut. Leorio watched in silence as his companion drifted to sleep minutes later.

In the books he'd read, in which someone would fall asleep, the other character would usually observe the fact that they looked peaceful and almost vulnerable. Unlike the usual, hardheaded or mean person they'd usually be described as.

But, to him, Kurapika didn't seem peaceful and vulnerable, even as he slept. He just seemed…vulnerable. His expression could hardly be described as 'peaceful'. Relief of having escaped, perhaps, but not yet finding peace in escape. Even in sleep, it seemed like the blond was afraid of being exposed.

To the lullaby of falling rain, Leorio drifted off to oblivious slumber.

TBC…

Yuuki: For some reason, I don't like this chapter…or at least, I don't like how I worded most things…

Gon: *on song hunting duty*I told the witch doctor I was in love with you! Du du du! And then the witch doctor he told what to do! He told me~ ooh ee ooh ah ah, ting tang, walla walla bing bang~

Leorio: O-O That song sounds so…

Kurapika: wrong? Disgusting? Wrong? Unrelated? Wrong? Repulsive? WRONG?

Leorio: …*all dreamy like* arousing…

Yuuki, Killua, Kurapika: O_O

Gon: Eh? What's that mean?

Yuuki: it means it's time to leave

Everyone: ARIGATOU!


	8. Entertainment

_There's a fine line between 'love' and 'hate' and 'I don't mind'. Just let me say that 'I like that', I don't like that. _– Diary of Jane by Breaking Benjamin

Chapter 8: Entertainment

"I'm bored, hungry, and I _really_ have to use the bathroom. _God_, isn't _anybody_ gonna let us out?"

Leorio feebly pounded his fists against the phone booth walls, leaning his forehead against the glass. "C'_mon_! I'm too young to die…"

"Will you _be quiet_?" Kurapika demanded, though amusement was written clearly across his face. "Complaining won't do you any good. Besides, it's irritating." He crossed his arms, casually leaning against the phonebook on the wall.

The two of them had been trapped in the phone booth for over two hours, according to Leorio's watch, and the teacher was beginning to wonder if the rain would stop before nightfall. To be stuck there, for the entire night? No thanks. He wanted to leave and get home, and he didn't plan on spending the rest of the day here.

"Need I remind you, _you_ were the one who chose to come here." Kurapika stated matter-of-factly. Sitting up, Leorio muttered irritably, "Well, _you_ woke me up. And by throwing a phone book at me, too."

"You were snoring loudly. I couldn't sleep."

"So you woke me up, and now _neither_ of us is sleeping."

"Honestly, Hanashi-sensei, you are much more amusing when you're awake than asleep. I needed some form of entertainment if I wouldn't be allowed to rest." The blond smirked, making shivers go down his teacher's back. "_Entertain me_, _Leorio-san_." He spoke slowly, dragging out each syllable.

"You are so out of character right now, it's scary." Leorio dug through his pockets, eventually pulling out a deck of cards. "Wanna play a card game? It's something to _do_, at least."

"I have the urge to answer '_I'm _something to do', or 'then let's do it'." Kurapika sighed, resting his chin against his hands. "I think spending time with you, Hisoka-san, and Yuei-chan today has done something to me." Leorio nodded slowly, surprise keeping any expression off his face. All he managed to say was, "I see…"

Re-pocketing the cards, Leorio held out his hands, "How about a clapping game then?"

"You mean a hand game-…" Kurapika stared at nothing in particular, letting himself fall back to look at the ceiling. "I think I'm sick."

"Quick, what's the first thing you think of when I say…girl."

"Female." The blond muttered, bored enough to play the teacher's stupid game.

"What about…penis."

"Leorio-san!" Kurapika snapped angrily, bolting to a sitting position and blushing lightly. Leorio grinned, "Ah, so you play for _that _team, eh?" He chuckled, glad that he could be the one to cause the blond to gape like this.

Another hour passed, barely noticed. It was spent bickering and teasing, neither of them wanting to let the other have the last word. So transfixed in their verbal battle, they didn't notice the fact that the rain had stopped. Nor did they note the people who cast glances at the two occupants of the phone booth.

"How could you suggest something like that?" Kurapika growled, a vein beginning to pulse on his forehead. Leorio towered above him, standing with his arms crossed, "You are such a _girl_! You're probably wearing a _skirt_ underneath that!"

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know!"

"Aha! Ladies and gentlemen, Yuukio Kurapika did _not_ deny his skirt-wearing-obsession!"

"_You_ didn't deny that you would like to know, either!" Kurapika got to his feet, grabbing the front of the teacher's shirt, "You're _interested_, aren't you?"

"Ahem." There was a knock on the phone booth door. "Now, girls, girls, this is hardly the place for a cat fight."

Yuei pulled open the door, finally freeing them from their confinement, "Though, frankly, I'm loving the fanservice so feel free to continue some place more appropriate."

"Would you mind if I killed you?" Kurapika asked innocently, turning his attention back to Leorio. With a sigh, he released his grasp on his shirt and stepped out of the booth. "Thanks for letting us out." Yuei shrugged, "Thought I'd return the favor."

"Favor?"

Leorio stretched his arms above his head, "I thought we'd be stuck in there _forever_!"

The sky was again clear, free from any signs of the storm that had struck just hours ago. Already, people were flowing back into the carnival gates to enjoy the circus. Tents were going back up and clowns began goofing about.

One of those clowns approached them, holding up a small box. Kneeling on one knee, he presented the box to Yuei and Kurapika, Leorio peering over their shoulders. With a flourish, he opened the box. Flowers and confetti sprang from the small container, a single light shooting up to explode in the dim sky as the sun disappeared behind the far away hills.

The clown laughed silently, skipping away from the group.

Leorio reached down and plucked one of the flowers from the ground, sliding it behind the blond's ear, unnoticed.

XXX

"Putting aside the Improv game and being stuck in a phone booth," Leorio parked the car in front of the house. "I'd say it was a pretty fun date, ne?"

Kurapika stifled an exhausted yawn behind the cone of cotton candy, "Sure. But it was a lousy, um, 'first date', if you ask me." Somewhere in the middle of winning random prizes from random games and the fireworks, the teacher had managed to convince the blond to refer to the day as a 'date'. Why? Because he had said so, that's why.

"In all seriousness, why were you in the women's section this morning?" Leorio asked curiously. Kurapika sighed, for the umpteenth time, "I got distracted, and when I turned around, you were already gone. So I was looking for you."

"Why would you think _I'd_ be in the women's section?"

"Because you would be."

"That's-…probably true."

Kurapika smiled tiredly, opening the car door, "Are you gonna sit there all night?"

Killing the engine, Leorio followed the blond up the porch steps, sorting through his keys. "Where _is_ that darn key…?" Kurapika chewed thoughtfully on his cotton candy, savoring the blue fluffy taste as it melted in his mouth.

"Hanashi-sensei, why do you want to be a doctor?"

The key clicked into the lock, sending the door open. The teacher flipped the light switch, shrugging out of his coat, "Every time this comes up, you end up walking away from me. I don't want to talk about it if that's gonna happen." He kicked off his shoes and finished off his own cotton candy. Kurapika closed the door behind him, dropping the bags to slip off his shoes, "I'm just curious this time. A degree in teaching, and then medical school? Are you just ambitious or do you have a good reason?"

"I can't tell, are you mocking me?" The teacher muttered, leaning against the wall. The blond looked up, genuine curiosity on his face, "People don't become doctors on a mere whim."

Leorio licked his suddenly dry lips, "Well, it doesn't matter. I don't have enough money so I probably won't even be able to finish medical school. Besides, it's not possible for a guy like me to get a good degree."

Kurapika shook his head, a small smile gracing his lips, "A 'guy like you'? Not good enough? Don't give up before you even try, Leorio-san."

Eyes wide, Leorio stared at the blond, a scene from the past surfacing just barely.

_Don't count yourself out before you even get in the game, Leorio!_

"You're just like him." He whispered. The blond blinked, "Who?"

Just then the phone began to ring, its usual song cutting through the teacher's reminisce. He quickly snatched it off its hook, bringing it to his ear, "Hello?"

Kurapika waited patiently as he talked, finishing off the cotton candy before grabbing the bags and bringing them towards his room. With a yawn, he left them in the corner and dragged himself to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he surveyed the very limited inventory.

With a short laugh, he took out a slice of leftover pizza, eating it cold as he waited for his teacher to get off the phone. As he nibbled on the crust, Kurapika wondered why he was eating. It wasn't as if he hadn't had enough food. Actually, he had had more than he probably should have. Finishing half the slice, he lifted his shirt slightly, staring at his thin stomach. Could it be that he was getting fat? Did that make you eat more? He didn't _think_ he had gained any weight.

Letting go of the fabric, the blond hoisted himself onto the counter, leaning his head against the cabinet. Since when did he care about such trivial matters anyways?

His gaze drifted to the doorway as Leorio waltzed in.

"Who was it?"

"It was someone from medical school." Leorio murmured dazedly, "The exams have been rescheduled to late September, just like you said."

They remained in silence as the teacher came over and snatched the remainder of the pizza away, gobbling it up in a few bites. Kurapika frowned as he finished, "I was eating that."

"And I saved you the trouble of finishing it. You're welcome." He smiled lazily, leaning back to trap the blond against the counter.

"Ow, ow! You're squishing me!" Kurapika playfully pounded on the teacher's back, drawing his legs back to keep his knees from pressing against the rough edges. Leorio pushed further back, turning his head to keep the blond from chocking on his hair, "I won't get up until you say 'Leorio's awesome and so darn handsome'."

"You're so overconfident."

"No, no. I have _no _self confidence. I need you to reassure me."

Kurapika rolled his eyes, "Sure you do. I still won't say it."

"Oh, so you _like_ being under me?" Leorio teased. The blond covered his mouth with his hands, smothering his laughter.

"I should really start thinking before saying things out loud."

"It's funnier this way, but yes, yes you should."

TBC…

Yuuki: *all proud like* Ha, I kept seriousness to a MINIMUM!

Killua: Gon and I haven't been seen in forever -_-

Yuuki: Pffsh, whatever…maybe I'll make a KillGon after this…

Leorio: …when you say it out loud…it sounds like you're gonna kill Gon

Gon: *teary eyed* EHHH?

Kurapika: *whacks Leorio with book* see what you did now?

Leorio: ME? YOU'RE the one who keeps…SUGGESTING things *points to fanfic*

Kurapika: That's not ME, it's YUUKIO Kurapika *deadpan*

Leorio: *facepalm*

Everyone: Arigatou!


	9. Ties

_Your voice, it chased away…all the sanity in me. These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real. There's just too much that time cannot erase. _– My Immortal by Evanescence

Chapter 9: Ties

An empty house loomed up in front of Leorio. It stood tall and imposing, alone in the swirling darkness. Leorio gulped, twisting the door knob to find the inside much as it's outward appearance.

He knew this house, he just _knew_.

Before he could bolt back outside, the door closed with finality. And it stayed firmly shut, no matter how hard he tried to open it. Giving up, Leorio wandered through the house, finally coming to a stair case. Actually, two stair cases. One led down to a dark room, from which noises and screams could be heard. The other led to a silent upper floor.

A little boy stood between the stair cases, swinging his head to and fro.

Leorio opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Only a wisp of air, as if his voice had gotten up and left.

The boy acted oblivious to his presence, brown hair swishing about his head as he turned. After what seemed like eternity, the boy put a hand against the railing of the downward leading stairs. Around the same time, Leorio found his voice.

"You should go up."

"No." The little boy shook his head, "Upstairs is already dead. At least down there, if they're screaming, they're alive."

Throat tightening, Leorio reached a hand towards the small boy, "Pietro-"

The boy turned around. A small brown hat sat on his blond head, large blue eyes screaming at him to get away, "_He's_ upstairs, _Leorio_-san. Where _he_ belongs. Where do _you_ belong?"

With a smirk, the younger Kurapika ran down the stairs, disappearing into the scream-infested darkness.

With a gasp, Leorio jumped out of bed. He stared down at his hands, hardly noticing the red-jeweled bracelet.

XXX

"HANASHI-SENSE~EI!"

Leorio, walking into the kitchen, jumped in surprise at the sudden yell. "Jeesh, Yuukio-kun, you sound more like a girl than usual-…" He trailed off, fully taking in the scene in the kitchen.

The place was a _mess_.

And there were _four teenagers_ there.

Kurapika looked up as he walked in, eyes comically huge as he sniffled, "L-Leorio-san…" The blond had been tied to a kitchen chair with, well, ties. Leorio's ties, to be exact.

Yuei, the source of the earlier outburst, tapped her big chef's hat with a wooden spoon, "Why hello there, sleepy head." At the counter, whisking eggs quickly, Gon grinned sheepishly, "Good morning, Hanashi-sensei!" To complete the group, Killua was sitting on the table, nibbling on a chocolate bar, "Oi, Ojii-san, you're out of chocolate."

"WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING IN MY HOUSE?"

XXX

"Okay, so you're telling me," Leorio massaged his forehead, "That you came here because a fortune cookie _told_ you to? How did you _know_ where we lived?"

Yuei chewed on a freshly made pancake, "Well, yeah, basically. And Hisoka gave me your address." Killua, picking chocolate chips out of his pancake, smirked, "Tch. That clown _would_ stalk his teacher and that blond thing." Gon continued grinning, already done with his food.

"Excuse me?" Kurapika had managed to drag himself into the room, still strapped to the chair, "That _blond thing_ is right here! Hanashi-sensei, please tell _this white thing_ to leave!"

Leorio sighed, lounging back into the couch, "_Teenagers_. This is why I never wanted kids." Yuei grinned, "And you were blessed with Pika-chan. Ah, what a lucky guy. But if we're too much trouble, I could take him."

The blond shot her an annoyed glare, "That is _not_ funny." Killua snickered, "Yeah, we could take _that blond thing_ and sell it to Hisoka."

"_It_?" Kurapika growled. "I'm not a genderless _blond thing_."

"I will never understand your taste in friends." Leorio muttered, slumping back in his seat. "Especially since all you seem to do is argue with them."

"I think," Gon took a bite out of Killua's abandoned pancake, "that that's how Kurapika-san shows he cares." The blond scooted his chair closer to the table, a light blush on his cheeks. "_Gon_." He complained.

"If that's true, then he must _love_ me." Leorio scoffed, stabbing his pancake mercilessly.

"I-I do n-not!"

"He was being sarcastic, blondie."

"…Hmph." Kurapika finally made it to the table, "Untie me so I can eat?" Yuei grinned, "Aw, but it took so much effort to tie you up. We could just feed you, Pika-chan."

"There is no way I am letting you _fe_- mmph."

Leorio picked up another piece of pancake as the blond chewed, sticking the fork back in his mouth before he could yell at anybody. The boy's polite ways came in handy at times like these. And speaking with food in his mouth was definitely labeled _RUDE_ in his mind. So poor Kurapika had to settle for glaring daggers at his teacher while he was fed the rest of his pancake.

_If looks could kill_… Leorio thought, waiting patiently for the inevitable outburst as the blond finished chewing the last piece of his food. Instead of shouting at the top of his lungs, Kurapika grabbed the fork with his mouth, promptly beginning to tear at the ties with the utensil.

Slowly, his actions and the consequences began to register in Leorio's mind. As the last tie finally succumbed to the blond's merciless vengeance, the teacher jumped to his feet and let out a hoarse cry.

"MY BABIES!"

XXX

"Is he okay?" Killua asked, motioning indifferently towards their teacher. "Who knew he cared so much about his ties anyways?" With a sigh, Kurapika closed the door behind them, "Hanashi-sensei prizes his tie collection. I just wiped out the better half of it."

Yuei snorted softly, "Even with the door closed, I can still hear him. Poor _daddy_ has lost his precious _babies_."

Gon, seated on the curb, held his head in his hands, "I hate getting in trouble…" Killua sweat dropped, "Ojii-san yelling 'get out, all of you' is not the worst we've gotten."

"He'll get over it, Gon." Kurapika smiled encouragingly. Coughing to get their attention, Yuei climbed onto the porch table. "I," She smirked mischievously, "have noticed two things in the past hour." The blond fought to keep the smile on his face, "Oh?"

"Yep. I noticed that Pika-chan did _not _use an honorific for Gon's name. _Nor_ does he treat Hanashi-sensei like a dad." The girl hopped off the table, crossing her arms, "Personally, I'm more curious about the latter."

"Leorio-san isn't my father." Kurapika frowned in confusion. "We're not blood related at all."

"Yet," Killua, waggling his eyebrows, leaned his elbows against the porch railings, "you live together and seem awfully…_cozy_."

"It wasn't _my _idea." The blond slid back against the door, sitting on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chest. "_He_ chose to _adopt_ me without my consent."

"Adopted by sensei?" Yuei's eyebrows shot up into her hair. "It doesn't say that on your school file."

"You looked through my _school file_?"

"That," She smirked, "is beside the point. Sensei has _not _adopted you. Unless it happened last night after you left the carnival." Kurapika let out an exasperated breath, "Fine, so he hasn't _officially_ adopted me. But that was the original plan."

Killua rested his chin against his arms, "You know, you guys could get in a lot of trouble this way. From an outsider's view, it seems like a teacher-student relationship. The usual taboo. The old man could lose his job if the school finds out."

"But I don't see the problem." Gon remarked innocently. "Even if they did have that kind of relationship, which they don't," He added quickly, fearing the blond's wrath, "what's the big deal?"

"_Gon_," Killua flicked the boy's forehead. "Ojii-san would be considered a _pedophile_!"

Just then, the door opened, revealing a tired looking Leorio. The teacher raised an eyebrow at their wide-eyed stares, "What's all the noise about?"

"Nothing," muttered Kurapika, Killua, Gon, and Yuei in remarkable and most likely never-to-be-repeated unison. Despite his earlier irritation, Leorio cast suspicious glances to the four teenagers. But "oh" was all he said.

XXX

"They certainly are a…_interesting_ bunch." Leorio remarked as he and his student watched the three teens walk down the street. "Are you sure I shouldn't drive them home? It's dark." Kurapika turned away from the window, "Eh? Is that a strand of gray hair on your head?"

"WHAT?"

"Kidding."

"…Your sense of humor irks me so…" Leorio pulled the curtain across the window. "Though I guess if it was any different, you wouldn't be quite as enjoyable to have around."

The blond stifled a yawn with his hand, sitting on the couch and fingering the plush fabric. The teacher leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the window, "It's only been six days since I've met you, and even shorter since you've come to live here. Is it really possible for someone to take over your thoughts in such a small span of time…?" Leorio trailed off, glancing back. A small smile found its way to his face.

Kurapika had fallen asleep on the couch, head tipped back and lips parting slightly with his soft breath.

Carefully, so as not to awaken him, Leorio slipped one arm beneath the blond's legs and the other beneath his shoulders, cradling his student's head against his chest. Carrying the boy to his room, the teacher gently laid him on the bed. After a moment of simply standing in the darkness, Leorio turned to look at the small desk they had carried in earlier with the visitors' help. On it sat some books and paper, and in the corner was a small vase of water.

Leorio picked up the vase, studying the familiar flower it contained. It was the flower he had discreetly slipped behind the blond's ear yesterday night, at the carnival.

Setting down the flower, he turned the light off and left the room. Shutting the door, he whispered, "Good night."

TBC…

Yuuki: Much as Yuei noticed TWO things, I have TWO announcements...well, they're more like notes…but whatever

Killua: *yawn*

Yuuki: First, many of you may or may not remember Wong from the Improv game~ In case you're wondering about my OC, he was created for the simple purpose of me needing a fourth player, and the thought that it would be unrealistic if ALL four players would be key characters…He was created on the spot, and unless I need another extra person, he won't show up again~

Gon: *holds up sign with 2 on it* Second~

Yuuki: also, the songs at the top of each chapter? I don't know about you, but I can't do ANYTHING without music in the background, so they're suggestions of songs I think would be nice to listen to while reading each chapter~ Just saying nyan~

Leorio: *sulking* you destroyed…my ties…and called me a PEDOPHILE!

Kurapika: *sweat drop* well…

Yuuki: *pats Leorio's head* there, there~ it's not your fault that Kurapika is pedo-bear-bait~

Everyone: ARIGATOU!


	10. Apology

_I'm not afraid of tomorrow; I'm only scared of myself. Seems like my insides are on fire, and I'm looking through the eyes of someone else. _– Tomorrow by sr-71

Chapter 10: Apology

"Whoa there, sunshine, what's with the spaced out smirk?"

Kurapika snapped out of his trance-like state, turning back to the problem at hand. "Sorry."

Killua tapped the worksheet in front of them, chewing on the end of his pen and following the blond's earlier gaze to find their teacher sitting at his desk. With a smirk, he raised his hand. "Ojii-san, this blond thing keeps staring at you. And it can't keep itself from spacing out long enough to work on the worksheet."

Leorio didn't glance up from the paper he was writing on, didn't bat an eyelash.

The white-haired boy frowned, disappointed he didn't get an amusing reaction from the 'old man'. Kurapika shook his head, "Don't bother him."

"Had a fight? A _rough _night?" Killua inquired, hoping to amuse himself through the blond instead. But to no avail. The boy didn't bother to answer, simply went back into his spaced-out trance.

XXX

Kurapika sat quietly at the usual lunch table. The breeze played with his blond hair as he pointlessly awaited his teacher. He knew Leorio wasn't going to show up, knew that he was still mad.

His food lay untouched beside him; the blond didn't feel like eating. He watched the leaves of a nearby tree fall to the ground every now and then, racing across the school grounds.

"You'll get sick if you don't eat."

"…"

Gon took a seat across the table, revealing his own lunch and offering him a sandwich. "It's really good. Aunt Mito is a really good cook." He set down the food and took another out of his bag, eating it slowly.

"Hanashi-sensei seemed upset today, and so did you." The spiky-haired boy murmured quietly. But still he received no response.

"If you really wanna know someone, then you should try and understand what it is that makes them angry." Gon paused to take another bite of his sandwich, "That's what Mito-san told me, and I think it's true." Kurapika looked up to meet his gaze, "I don't want to know or understand Leorio-san."

"I didn't say I was talking about you and sensei." Gon grinned widely. "Yet you knew who I meant."

The September breeze picked up, sending a spiral of multicolored leaves across the table. Kurapika turned his head away from the boy's determined gaze, "You wouldn't understand, Gon. I can't. I just _can't_."

"Maybe I don't understand everything that's going on." Gon continued, "But I think I've started to get a good idea of what it is that makes you angry."

"Which is?"

"You're afraid." He finished his sandwich, "I don't know what you're afraid of yet. So if I figure that out, then I'd know what made you angry, and I think then I'd understand. Am I right?"

Kurapika didn't answer, only because he didn't know what to say as a response to that. Something that didn't happen often, until recently, for Leorio's 'human encyclopedia'. The blond quietly took the earlier offered sandwich and unwrapped it, cautiously taking a small bite. "It's good."

"Of course! I told you, Mito-san can cook really well!" Gon beamed, proudly taking out another sandwich. "I told her she should be a chef, but she said she'd rather just cook for her family."

Slowly, Kurapika ate the offered sandwich. _Then why am I eating it, if it's for Gon's family?_ Taking another mouthful, he decided he didn't care.

XXX

"I'm sorry."

Leorio looked up from the paper on his desk, gaze landing on a blushing face. He frowned, eyebrows knitted together. "You just…a-apologized?" The teacher sputtered disbelievingly.

Kurapika, flushing a deep shade of red, was standing in front of the teacher's desk, arms tightly hugging his sides. The blond nodded, aquamarine eyes determinedly locking with Leorio's darker ones. "I'm truly, truly sorry."

Gaping, Leorio blinked rapidly, trying to form coherent words. "_What_?"

The blond's gaze wavered slightly, as he pouted absentmindedly. "Don't make me repeat myself, Hanashi-sensei. _Please_." The teacher leaned back in his seat, astonished at this new phenomenon. The proud Kurapika had just marched into the classroom, in the middle of class, and apologized to _him_ of all people, in front of his entire 6th period class.

Leorio glanced back up at the blond, and found that he had scrunched his eyes up tight and was taking deep breaths. Kurapika opened his eyes to slits, "F-forgive me?"

"Oh." The teacher blinked. "Yeah, of course. Apology accepted."

He found it hard to describe the expression of relief that washed over the boy's face. He wanted to see more of that face, he was certain that he did. Leorio reached up and ruffled the blond's hair affectionately, "I wasn't actually mad, you know."

"You certainly seemed so." Kurapika leaned ever so slightly towards the warm hand, closing his eyes as he recalled the events that had taken place that very morning. His earlier arguments seemed pathetic now, and he wondered how they had ever made sense to him.

In short, Leorio had forgotten to set his alarm, therefore he had overslept. Kurapika had gone into his room, intending to wake him up, when he had stumbled across a box placed neatly on the nightstand. Curiosity getting the better of him, the blond had pulled out a picture frame. It was small and slightly withered with age. The photo was of two smiling little boys, one of which resembled Leorio in a younger fashion, along with a pretty little girl.

At that moment, the teacher had decided to wake up with a startled shout, causing Kurapika to drop the frame, shattering the glass and scratching up the picture it held beyond recognition.

After that, arguing about the invasion of privacy and other random, unassociated matters ensued.

Now, the fight seemed idiotic, whatever the logic they had had at that moment may have been.

Leorio pulled back his hand, and was surprised when the blond leaned forward, catching himself on the desk with a disappointed sigh. The teacher was brought back to reality by a cough. Kurapika stiffened impossibly straight, eyes staring straight ahead in embarrassment.

A girl with black hair and large red glasses cleared her throat again, holding a packet out to Leorio. "I'm finished, sensei."

"Uh, t-thank you, Shizuku-san." He took the small stack of papers and placed them on the growing pile. The girl, Shizuku, nodded and turned to leave. She cast a confused glance at Kurapika, as if she couldn't remember seeing him there before, and stepped around him to reach her desk.

"I-I s-should go." Kurapika stammered, mentally slapping himself for stuttering. Spinning on his heel, he quickly exited the room, shutting the door on the commotion that began as soon as he stepped out.

Hurrying down the hall, the blond caught a glimpse of his reflection through a window. Jaw falling slightly, he realized his face was as red as a tomato, the color only deepening at the fact. And glancing through the window to the clock in the classroom, he realized he was twenty minutes late for chemistry.

XXX

"What's up?" Yuei asked curiously, noting the crestfallen expression on her friend's face. Kurapika sighed deeply, "I don't seem to have very good relations with any of the teachers at this school. I think they liked it better when I was off in a silent corner like last year."

They were walking to their last class of the day – Creative Arts. An elective that had been chosen for the blond when he hadn't bothered to fill in the schedule card. On the other hand, Yuei had chosen the class willingly, and he couldn't begin to fathom why. It certainly didn't seem to match with the way she carried herself.

"I was late for class, and scolded, and now if I'm even one second late I'll be 'up to my ears in trouble'."

"You don't usually whine." She observed with a grin. "Well, at least to _me_ you don't. Does this mean Pika-chan is opening up? I'm flattered."

"Pika-chan wants school to be over already." The blond muttered, not sure why he accepted the pet name so easily, as they reached their destination.

Taking a seat, Kurapika dropped his bag to the floor. "How did I survive last year?"

"Love hurts, Sugar-Bunny." Yuei sat down in front of him, leaning against his desk. "And, Bunny-Honey, you are certainly _lovely_." She snickered.

"Okay, I am thoroughly creeped out, thank you."

"And I was right!" Yuei beamed proudly. "You made up with Hanashi-sensei, didn't you?" She took a peek at his face and squealed excitedly. "I was right, I was right! You made up with a heart-warming moment, and realized that your fight was totally and completely stupid."

"…" Kurapika made a mental note to find out whether or not Yuei could either read minds or see the past. Or if she was stalking him. The third one seemed to make more sense, as strange as the concept was.

"That aside, that aside…you're 17, and Sensei is 25, so there's only…five…six…8 years between you guys!" She nodded enthusiastically. "And in one year, you'll be 18, and it won't be looked strangely upon."

_Eight years…_ The blond thought. _Putting things into that perspective…Leorio-san was in Elementary school when I was born…I was learning to breathe and he was learning how to tie his shoes. _He sighed, somehow this fact disappointing him greatly.

"Why do you assume there's anything between us, anyways?" Kurapika murmured quietly. "Killua-san lives with Gon and his aunt, and you don't think anything is going on between him and Gon's aunt."

Yuei blinked rapidly. "Well, that's different. And how did you figure out where he lived before I did?"

"Gon told me."

"I should really start hanging out with that kid more…" She trailed off as the students quieted.

A girl stumbled into the room, mascara smeared across her face with tears. She ignored the stares and plopped into the last remaining seat, hiding her head with her hands.

As whispers and earlier conversations resumed, Yuei snorted softly. "Well, I'll be. Miss Popularity is a total wreck. Whaddya think happened?" She blinked violet eyes slowly, indicating she either didn't realize that the girl could clearly hear them or was refusing to lower her voice on purpose. Odds are, it was the latter.

"_Yuei_-san." Kurapika complained, too polite to take part in this gossip. She waved a hand dismissively, "Oh, who cares. Like _she _hasn't talking about _everything and everyone_ in this school. Including you, Pika-chan, including me." Before he could stop her, Yuei turned towards the sobbing girl.

"Oi, you with the ego. What the hell happened to _you_?"

In situations such as this, Yuei truly had neither mercy nor any sympathy.

The girl looked up, great rivers of inked tears staining her face. "Shut up, Tsukikumo." She spat, annoyance and irritation clearly sent across with three words and a pitiful glare.

"Pampered poodle must've been disowned." Yuei shrugged, turning back to the blond. "Messed around with some guy, thought she was in love, then poof, she wakes up alone."

Said 'pampered poodle' stood with a huff, new tears rolling down her cheeks. "Yeah, so I messed around with someone. And it wasn't with _some guy_! It was…was that _red-haired clown_!" She angrily stormed away, kicking some poor guy out of his seat at the opposite end of the room.

"Red-haired clown, eh? Now who does that remind us of?" Yuei clucked her tongue in disapproval. Kurapika leaned the side of his face against his desk. He was positive he would never be able to fully understand the female vocabulary, let alone their mind.

A petite woman walked in, much calmer than the crying girl had earlier. She smiled, and stood in front of the classroom. Although she may not have been the most beautiful person in the world, Kurapika thought she seemed fairly kind and warm.

Senritsu, as she preferred to be called by first name, rather than last, clapped her hands once. "Good afternoon, everyone."

XXX

Leorio yawned, having to physically keep his eyes open to see the road in front of him. It was late, and he was tired. There had been a faculty meeting that had run longer than planned. After making sure Kurapika was okay with getting home on his own, the teacher had run off to chug a mug of coffee before making his way to the dreaded monthly meeting. Now it was over, and he just wanted to get home, crawl in bed, and have a good dream for once.

And maybe take a detour into Kurapika's room to say goodnight, somewhere in between getting home and crawling into bed.

He parked the car in the driveway, gathered his things, and drowsily dragged himself into the house. Kicking off his shoes, he realized that all the lights were off.

"I'm home." Leorio called, wandering through the silent hallways. Checking the kitchen and the blond's room, panic began to buzz loudly in his ears.

"_Right, you still have to fill out the papers. And _then_ you'll adopt me. And _then_ I'll just disappear again."_

_I'll just disappear again._

Heart hammering in his chest, Leorio threw open the door to his own room. And he never knew that relief could _hurt_ that bad.

The blond lay sprawled across his bed, dozing silently. Beside him, a small pile of glass along with a bag was dangerously close to his face.

As quietly as he could, the doctor quickly scooped up the glass – which had conveniently been wrapped in newspaper – and set it aside. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Leorio absentmindedly brushed golden locks from Kurapika's forehead, hand lingering longer than necessary on the soft stands.

"Leorio-san…?" Kurapika mumbled, slowly sitting up. The teacher's hand retreated back to his side. "Oh, you're awake?" The blond nodded, resisting the urge to yawn.

"Oh." He quickly sought out the bag and held it up to Leorio. "I, um…tried to fix it…"

Leorio gingerly took it, reaching in to take out a small frame. It wasn't the same frame he had kept before, and unlike the old one, this one seemed handmade.

"We…uh…made that…Yuei-san and I…" A blush found its way to the blond's face, and he momentarily wondered why this would cause such a reaction in the first place. "I would have bought a new one, but I don't have any money…"

The photo itself, under some form of modern magic, had been restored. Although not as clear as it had originally been, Leorio could at least distinguish what it was of. The edges had also been trimmed, adding to the 'neat' effect of the restoration.

Leorio looked up from the picture, realizing the blond had been waiting for him to say something. Knowing it had taken a big chunk of his pride to apologize, then make him an apology gift, the older man wasn't sure what he should say. He settled with, "Thank you, Yuukio-kun." He added, as an afterthought, "This side of you is much cuter than your usual stubborn character."

Kurapika whipped his head to the side as his face reddened, chin held up high, "Y-yeah, well…Don't get used to it."

"I wouldn't dream of it, high and mighty Yuukio Kurapika." Leorio did a quick mock bow.

"You are so _difficult_!" The blond huffed. "Why must you have fun at _my_ expense?"

"Because you love me." He teased, hands placed above his heart. And laughed heartily at Kurapika's gaping, shocked expression.

"In your dreams, you…ugh!" With that, the blond stormed off to his own room, leaving Leorio to laugh himself to sleep.

TBC…

Yuuki: *proud* I~ have changed my usual "1500 words" limit to "2000 words"~ And for this chapter I got past 2600!

Killua: *yawn* I wasn't in this all that much…so I didn't bother to read it *walks away*

Yuuki: *ignores* And is it just me, or is the first half of this chapter really…

Killua: *yells from other room* boring?

Gon: different?

Kurapika: off topic?

Leorio: slow?

Yuuki: *sweat drop* I was gonna say awkwardly put together….

Everyone: Arigatou!


	11. Scheme

_When you're caught in a lie, and you've got nothing to hide, when you've nowhere to run, and you've got nothing inside, it tears right through me – you thought that you knew me. _– Perfect by Hedley

Chapter 11: Scheme

"Guess what day it is today!"

"Uh…Tuesday?" Gon laughed nervously. Yuei had rushed into the classroom this morning and scared the living daylights out of the poor boy by slamming her hands down on his desk.

"Well, yes, yes it is. But that's not the point!"

Killua leaned lazily against the back of his chair, "Then _get_ to the point." Ignoring the sarcasm that thickly dripped from his tone, she grinned. "Today is the day I initiate the Get-Pika-chan-And-Sensei-To-Fall-Into-Compromising-Situations Plan!"

"There is something very wrong with you."

"Why thank you, Killu-puu!" Yuei smirked smugly. "I already set up the first trap, just to convince you that I have awesome ideas."

"Whatever. I will not have any part in this idiotic scheme of yours." Killua crossed his arms stubbornly. "I really don't care about what Ojii-san and that blond thing do in their free time." Gon smiled sheepishly, "But if we don't say we'll help, Yuei-chan will probably end up destroying Whale Island."

"Makes no difference to me." He muttered, nonetheless watching curiously as footsteps pounded down the hallway. The door flew open, and for the second time that day, somebody rushed into the classroom and scared poor Gon by slamming their hands down on the desk.

"You snuck into the house, in the middle of the night, to steal the alarm clock!" It was hardly considered a question. Kurapika frowned deeply at them, "What was the point of that?"

Yuei patted his head, "Well, dear Pika-chan, I left a note, didn't I? You always get up way too early, so I was doing you a favor." The blond sighed, backing away from the desk to take his own seat. "Should I even bother to ask how you got inside?"

"_This _is your 'awesome idea'?" Killua scoffed, lowering his voice. Yuei grinned, "What kind of person do you take me for? Of course that's not it!"

As Leorio shuffled into the room, she sauntered over to her own desk, brushing a hand across Kurapika's head.

Class began as it usually would, and as Leorio began passing out papers, Gon noticed the blond was wearing a hat. It was a strange hat, it was small for his head, and furry. It wasn't until the hat began _moving _that the boy realized it wasn't a hat at all.

"Kurapika, there's a gigantic spider on your head!" Gon called out. Kurapika stared at him with confused eyes, slowly digesting these foreign words. The color drained from his face. "S-spider…?"

Leorio's breath caught as he slowly reached towards the creature, "Don't move, that thing's poisonous."

"Don't just stand there, get it _off_!" He hissed, rigidly trying to look up. The spider crawled about his head, sliding down the golden locks to his ear. From there, it crawled onto his cheek.

Seeing the hairy thing moving forward, Leorio clamped a hand over Kurapika's mouth before it could crawl in. Glaring murderous daggers at the spider, the blond picked up his pencil. An easy flick of the wrist, and the pencil knocked the spider to the floor, where it disappeared into the cracks in the tiles.

XXX

"That was the _worst_ idea in the history of bad ideas!" Killua growled, "And to think that for a second there, I thought you had come up with something decent!"

Yuei shrugged, patting the breast pocket of her shirt, "Well, I'm more concerned with the spider, Pika-chan could've actually _killed _her. Aniki would scold me for losing her." The spider poked its head out of the pockets, clicking two of its legs together.

"You used your brother's _pet_?" He shook his head in disapproval. "There are _plenty _of spiders around."

The two of them were walking to their second period class, having said goodbye to Gon and Kurapika until lunch. Entering the History room, the spider crawled back into the safety of Yuei's pocket. The girl nodded, "I know. But I didn't want to risk Pika-chan actually getting hurt, and Saki wouldn't bite anybody unless Aniki or I told her to."

"You keep talking about this brother of yours." Killua commented. She remained unfazed. "Actually, he's not my brother. We have no blood relations, but he's still Aniki to me." Yuei turned around in her seat, closing the topic easily.

"So, are you gonna help me or not?"

"Like Gon said, if we don't get involved, you'll wipe out the majority of the sane population."

XXX

Gon sneezed, scratching the tip of his nose. Dismissing it, he turned back to the problem at hand. Carefully, he inched the scissors closer, slowly and gently clipping the stem. And ended up cutting it too short. Again.

"Gah! Kurapika, I messed up again!" He complained, holding up the flower for all to see. Kurapika sweat dropped, "You think about it too much." The blond was now regretting not filling in the schedule card. At first, the class chosen for him didn't seem to be too horrible. But now, he wasn't so sure. Landscaping and Floral Design had been assigned to Gon as an alternative, and the class he had originally chosen had filled up quickly. Now both boys would share the pain of flowers together for the rest of the year.

"How can you do this so fast?" Gon wondered, glancing at the blond's assortment in awe. The flowers easily surpassed the simple example the instructor had drawn on the board. This proved the fact that Kurapika had indeed been paying attention, despite his complaints, or it may have just been he had a good eye for design.

"Oh…I was distracted." Kurapika assessed the flower he was holding. It wouldn't fit with the flowers already in the pattern, he had just picked it up off the floor. It was deep blue, scarlet lines racing down the petals. What a strange plant.

XXX

Leorio was bored.

The thing with teaching math was that, after the lesson, the students would be off to practice on their own, leaving him with nothing to do. And if he had nothing to do, he had time to think. That was never a good thing.

So, in order to keep his mind from wandering off to this 'thinking', he pulled up an internet page on the computer. Logging into the e-mail box, he quickly scanned the senders of various messages.

Spam…spam…spam…school…spam…spam…school…school….spam…Ooh sparkly spam…Sakuno…Spam…

Wait.

His eyes doubled back to look at the e-mail. Excitedly, he clicked on the message, reading the words and becoming happier with each letter. Boredom could lead to good things after all.

XXX

"YUUKIO-KUN!"

Kurapika looked up, about to bark out a "what?", and instead gasped as arms wrapped around his waist and swung him into the air. Leorio spun in a circle before letting the blond down, laughing and smiling excitedly. Keeping his arms tightly around his student, Leorio's grin broadened as he cheerily began to spew words that didn't make sense to the four teenagers who were there to witness the scene.

"It's been almost _two whole years_!" He rambled, "Oh, Yuukio-kun, you're gonna _love_ her! She's amazing and wow, I've missed her and-"

"Ojii-san, you are raping that blond thing's butt."

Leorio let go, the realization that his arms had not _quite_ wrapped around the blond's _waist_ doing nothing to dampen his mood.

Kurapika, a slight flush on his face, raised an eyebrow at the teacher. "I understood nothing of your rant except for 'oh, Yuukio' and 'her'." _The reason possibly being either your hands or the fact that you smell like a million bottles of cologne…_

The lunch table, which Leorio dimly noticed had grown in population since the first day of school, was covered in food, compliments of Gon's Aunt Mito. All attention had shifted from the amount of food to the teacher as he had rushed to them. Gon was just glad he hadn't slammed his hands down on the table in front of him. That would make three times in just one day.

"Sakuno Miyoshi!" Leorio babbled. "She sent a message that she's coming to visit this weekend."

"_This _weekend?" Kurapika repeated, disappointed. "But we were going to-"

"It's okay." Yuei waved her hand dismissively, as she always did. "Aniki wouldn't mind one more person. This Sakuno lady can come, too. Right, Saki?" The spider poked its head out of her breast pocket, clicking two legs together. Earlier, Gon had broken down and revealed to the blond of the girl's pet spider after Killua had explained to him where it had come from.

"Come where?" Leorio murmured, finally breaking out of his happy bubble.

"Well, we were making plans to go up to my Aniki's private house up in the mountains. You know that smaller island a few miles from the shore of Whale Island? There's already snow there! In September! And I was going to go there while Aniki's away on business this weekend." Yuei explained. "He doesn't mind me taking friends with me."

Killua added, "Mito-san was gonna come with us, because she wouldn't want us to be completely unsupervised. Then Gon had to go and suggest we bring _you_ instead."

"Obaa-san is sick." Gon protested. "I feel bad enough leaving her while she doesn't feel well! I can't let Mito-san leave her completely unattended! What if something happens?"

"So why don't you go ahead and invite this marvelous Sakuno? Then I won't be the only female." She grinned. "Pika-chan doesn't count as female, sorry. Just as I don't count as male."

Kurapika, who had re-taken his seat, slid aside and patted the space on the bench. "Besides, we need a responsible adult for Mito-san to give the OK." Leorio sat down beside him, "Usually when people want you to do something, they'll give a _compliment_."

"I complimented your friend, didn't I?"

"That's not what I meant…" The teacher picked up a strange looking sandwich. "But sure, why not?"

XXX

"So…this Sakuno Miyoshi is your girlfriend?"

Leorio chocked, comically doing a spit take. He wiped his mouth with the corner of his sleeve, staring up at the blond as if he had just grown two heads. "The day Sakuno is my girlfriend is the day Yuei stops being strange." He croaked.

"Well, you seemed really happy…" Kurapika mumbled, staring out the kitchen window. Textbooks and papers were splattered across the table, along with a bag of pretzels and two cups of hot chocolate. Why hot chocolate? Because Leorio wanted hot chocolate, that's why.

"She's just a childhood friend." Leorio added after a pause. "She's the girl in that photo."

The blond lowered his eyes to the paper in front of him. At the moment, he found it hard to concentrate on the history of Whale Island. Instead, his thoughts kept wandering back to the, as Yuei dubbed, 'Sakuno lady incident'. He could dimly remember someone picking him up and spinning in a circle, such as Leorio had done. It was an unwanted memory, not that he didn't want to remember that person. But if he did, would he be able to return to the present?

"I want ramen for dinner."

"Huh?" Leorio looked up from his own papers. "Did you say something?"

"I said I want ramen for dinner." Kurapika crossed his arms. "Hard noodles, onion and pork."

"Um…okay? And what do you want me to do about it?" The teacher sweat dropped as the other rolled his eyes.

"Obviously, I want you to go to the store and buy ramen for dinner."

"But I don't like onion and pork…"

"But _I _don't want pizza, for once, thank you."

Leorio blinked as his keys and coat were shoved into his arms. "What is with the sudden ramen craving?"

"_Go_." Kurapika pointed towards the door stubbornly, until he got up and left. Locking the door behind him, Leorio looked up at the darkening sky. _Weird kid._

TBC…

Yuuki: *grin* anybody notice something about Leorio's mail?

Killua: Leorio is obsessed with the letter S?

Yuuki: I MEANT that it's all ssss then o then ss…SOS!

Leorio: *facepalm*

Yuuki: Usually, I'll look up meanings for names before I type them up…but for this story I haven't been doing that…Like Yuei and Wong just came randomly to my mind…so did Sakuno Miyoshi and Saki the spider…Of course, I looked up "saki" afterwards, but still…for Hanashi and Tsukikumo, I looked up before…and Yuukio was just a lame attempt at making a last name…as a compromise with myself to keep me from adding me to the story…which I find hard to resist…

Kurapika: *glares at Saki with full Kuruta glory* rargh

Yuuki: I'm wondering…does Saki count as an OC? Cuz it's just a spider…that may or may not appear again…

Everyone: Arigatou!


	12. Jealousy

_Yes, I could tell you, his favorite color's green. He loves to argue, oh and it kills me. His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes. But if you ask me if I love him? I'd lie _– I'd Lie by Taylor Swift

Chapter 12: Jealousy

Leorio stared at the calendar on the dashboard. Eleven days since he had stumbled across a certain blond. Whenever he looked at the calendar, he wouldn't think _oh, look, it's finally Friday_ as before. With a content sigh, the teacher leaned back in the driver's seat of the car.

The school day had finally ended, and now all that stood between him and getting to the docks was that very same blond. It seemed Kurapika was enjoying taking his own sweet time. After what seemed like eternity, he waved goodbye to the three friends and sauntered over to the car. Getting into the passenger seat, he tossed his bag to the back seat where it joined Leorio's suitcase.

"Well, _mon âme_, where to?"

"The _docks_." Leorio accused. "You took _forever_ to get here….And what the heck is a 'mon ameh'? That's the second time you've called me that." He muttered, referring to the day they had gone shopping.

"_Let me guess, I'm the mouse." The older man backed up against the shelf, a price tag digging into his back. His student narrowed his eyes as his smile grew bigger, "But of course,_ mon âme_. Any last words?"_

"Huh?" Kurapika blinked, slowly going over his words. "Oh, I guess I did…It's French." And he refused to elaborate.

With a sigh, Leorio drove in silence to the Whale Island docks.

Parking nearby, the two of them walked down to the port, where ships were loading and unloading frequently. Ignoring the cargo ships, Leorio finally found the familiar passenger ship and waited while it docked.

As people began unloading, Kurapika curiously examined the faces. He had seen the picture; surely he would be able to recognize the little girl, even if she was older now. But he couldn't seem to find her, and would never have if Leorio hadn't sprung forward.

The woman had long, light-brown hair that was almost blond in the sunlight and wide green eyes. She smiled hugely at seeing the teacher running towards her, white summer dress billowing about her and her large suitcase.

Kurapika stood still as the two hugged and immediately began chatting. It wasn't until they were doing one of those ridiculously long and embarrassing handshakes that the blond decided he should begin walking towards them. By the time he actually reached the teacher's side, the handshake had just ended and they were laughing heartily.

After standing silently for what seemed like eternity, he pulled on Leorio's sleeve. This seemed to remind him of the blond's existence.

"Yuukio-kun," Leorio all too easily draped an arm around the woman's shoulders, "This is the lovely Sakuno Miyoshi. And Sakuno, this is Yuukio Kurapika."

_Hmph, sure put _my _last name first, unlike dear, dear Sakuno. Isn't _she_ lovely?_

"I'm pleased to meet you, Yuukio-kun." Sakuno extended her hand, smiling kindly. Kurapika kept his arms by his sides, smiling forcibly and making no move to hide it, "I'd say the same."

_I really want some ramen…hard noodles, onion and pork…_

She dropped her hand, and much to the blond's annoyance her smile stayed genuine.

XXX

"Leorio must have mentioned you about a million times this past week." Sakuno laughed, watching said man struggle with her suitcase as they walked back to the car.

"Funny, he never mentioned _you_." _Ramen…is so good…_

"I'm sure our history wouldn't interest a young man like you." She giggled. "It's quite the story."

Was it just him, or did Kurapika hear an emphasis on the word 'history'. He had had enough history that day in class, and he had the feeling that whenever this woman said it wouldn't interest you, she was about to retch up all the little details.

Without a glance at the woman, which he still refused to refer to by name, Kurapika quickened his pace and climbed into the back seat of the car.

And he had to spend the weekend up in the mountains with this woman along? He should have begged them to bring Mito-san along…Though if he had done that, then Leorio would have been all alone with that woman for three days.

Kurapika shuddered as the trunk of the car opened. The teacher poked his head inside before pulling the suitcase in and shutting the door.

They would have had three days all alone. In the same house. Just Leorio and that woman.

He wanted ramen. A whole shop of ramen for him and him alone…hard noodles, onion and pork… Heck, he might as well eat all the rest of it.

So lost in his ramen day dreams, Kurapika hadn't noticed the car was moving until they had to suddenly swerve around a pothole, causing him to go flying into the door. He grunted at impact, cursing himself for neglecting to use the seatbelt.

"Sorry about that." Leorio grinned sheepishly.

The blond was about to snap back a 'be more careful' and bit his lip as he realized that no, Leorio was _not_ directing the comment at him and no, Kurapika was _not_ jealous because if he was then he would be glaring daggers at the woman such as he was right now.

And _yes_, he wanted ramen.

XXX  
"You, my friend, have a strange way of dealing with your emotions."

Kurapika ignored her, face practically buried in his ramen bowl.

After about an hour of sitting in his room, ignored, he had gone out and stumbled across Yuei. She had been out grocery shopping, apparently, and upon learning of his ramen craving, had offered to show him to the local shop. And that was how they found themselves sitting at the booth.

Yuei waited patiently as the blond downed bowl after bowl of hard noodles, onions and pork. Based upon his usual eating habits, she had assumed Kurapika didn't ever eat all that much. So this was definitely a spectacle to behold. She was almost tempted to call Killua and Gon, just to _talk_ to someone about the blond's odd behavior.

"So, Pika-chan. Tell me, do you always eat a whole lot when you're jealous?"

"I am _not_ jealous!" Kurapika barked out between mouthfuls. "And ramen helps me _not to think_. Though it won't help if you keep reminding me about that woman!"

Yuei shrugged.

_Note to self: Kurapika eats ramen (hard noodles, onion and pork) when jealous._

She should remember to bring lots of ramen with them on the trip, seeing as Sakuno would be coming with them. This weekend would certainly be interesting. It would have been fun to bring the spiders with them as well, but the cold temperature could get them sick…Though Saki didn't seem to mind snow, so she might end up bring her along, at least.

"Pika-chan, what's wrong?" Yuei mused, seeing his horror-stricken expression. Kurapika gulped shakily, "I…don't have any money…"

"Oh, don't worry, I'll pay. You can pay me back later." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet, happily opening it….to find it empty.

She had only brought enough money to pay for the groceries.

_Damn_.

The man behind the counter walked over to them smugly, "You ate an awful lot, are you sure you can pay for all that?" It was almost as if he _sensed_ the fact that they were broke. Yuei smiled sheepishly, "Actually…"

"Oh, you can make it up to us." The man smiled evilly. "By washing all those plates you have there."

XXX

"I think my hands were scrubbed off." Yuei whined, "Remind me again why I'm such a nice person? I didn't even eat anything!" Kurapika took a big gulp of air, stretching his arms above his head, "Thanks, Yuei-san." He smiled, for the first time all day. "That was definitely better than being stuck at home all day."

She couldn't help but smile back, "Yeah, no problem. It was fun. I'll see you tomorrow, then!"

"Bye." He waved slightly, turning and racing off home. With an amused roll of the eyes, she started home as well. It was a long walk, but at long last she made it. The house was silent when she got inside.

"Aniki, I'm back!" Yuei dropped the bags on the table, waiting patiently for the familiar silent footsteps to come into earshot. A young man shot her a rare smile as he joined her in putting away the food items. "That took you longer than usual."

"Oh, I had a little run in with a ramen-eating-fiend." She snickered. "Pika-chan, the blond I told you about. And then we had to wash dishes and the time just got away from me. Miss me?"

"Of course." The man had longish-black hair, the bangs of which hardly concealed a strange birthmark. And he had the deepest and darkest pair of black eyes that she had ever seen.

"Aniki, when are you leaving?"

"In a few hours. Why, do you want me gone?" He teased, chuckling at her annoyed expression. She rolled her eyes, "Aniki is mean. I'm serious, you have to be careful this time. If you get yourself killed, I'll kill you."

"I can't die twice." He chuckled. Yuei rolled her eyes again, "You know what I mean!"

_Note to Self: Aniki can't die twice, erasing the possibility of him being immortal_

_Note to Self: What are you? Five? Of course he's not immortal!_

XXX  
Kurapika held his arm out in front of him, observing the way the diming light bounced off the blue jewel of his bracelet. Since he'd first got it, he hadn't been able to take it off. It was as if it had melded with his skin. And as far as he could tell, Leorio had had the same results.

At the moment, the blond was seated about a block away from the house. He didn't want to have to face the 'lovey dovey couple' yet. He wished something would happen to make that woman decide to leave so he would never have to see her again. It was extremely selfish, because he knew that Leorio would be extremely sad if he never saw her again, but Kurapika didn't care. He just wanted her _gone_. He didn't notice the fact that his words implied he would always be around Leorio, or maybe he chose to ignore it.

Maybe he should just spend the night in the park, like before. Life was much less complicated without the teacher around. It would certainly be nice just to be away from everything for a while. But he still needed Leorio to take him to Yorkshiin.

It might have been an excuse. In fact, he was positive it was an excuse, and he was less than willing to except that.

With a sigh, Kurapika stood up and continued on his way home.

He wasn't sure what reaction he was expecting when he got there. But it certainly never crossed his mind that Leorio would have left without telling him. Now he was locked out of the house until the teacher decided to show up, most likely hand in hand with that woman.

With a frustrated growl, Kurapika leaned against the door.

He didn't have a key, the only way for him to get inside now was to break down the door or throw a rock at the window. Both seemed to spell out DOOM in the long run. Sighing, the blond slid to the ground, legs drawn tightly to his chest, his arms wrapped around his head, and his face buried in his knees.

So, while _he_ was stuck outside in the cold, at night, Leorio and _that woman_ were out being cozy somewhere. That seemed to happen a lot in his life.

Oh, what he would do for some ramen right about now.

He was getting really tired of thinking that.

TBC…

Yuuki: *big grin* Kura-tan and his weird obsessions~ nyan~

Killua: you're 18 words short of 2000

Yuuki: pfft…I've been making long chapters lately, give me a break *sticks tongue out* bleh! It's just 18 words!

Yuei: *appears out of puff of smoke* Hellos~

Yuuki: *gasps and points* you just reminded me of what I was gonna say!

Yuei: *disappears in puff of smoke*

Yuuki: anybody wanna take a guess at who "Aniki" is? Hyuu hyuu~ ALSO, does anybody out there have a list of spider species? I have to figure out what Saki is, my two choices right now are the spider from Episode 2 of HXH or a Funnel-Web spider from Australia...

Everyone: Arigatou!


	13. Hiking

_Run, baby, run! Don't ever look back; they'll tear us apart if you give them the chance _– Check Yes Juliet by We The Kings

Chapter 13: Hiking

"Look, look! There it is!"

Gon pointed out the window excitedly, grinning at the building outside. Beside him, Killua was shivering as he watched his breath puff up in front of him, "You weren't kidding when you said it was up in the mountains...or about the snow."

The building was a small wooden-cottage looking place, though unlike the usual scene, it had two floors and the wood was only a cover up for the very mansion-looking inside.

Yuei raced up the steps, throwing open the door, "Ah, I've missed this place! There's a freaking sauna! Aniki spoils me so~" Kurapika followed them inside, the gigantic coat the girl had provided them with doing nothing to keep out the chill. His familiar red bag bumped into his side as he half-ran up the steps.

A startled yell made him halt on the last step. Turning around, he saw _that woman _oh-so-obviously purposely trip over a clump of snow. Leorio caught her at the last second with a hand around her waist, his voice thick with worry, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah." She put the slightest pressure on her foot, leaning deeply into his side, "I'll be fine in a second." With an angry huff, Kurapika spun on his heel and stormed inside. Killua raised a fine eyebrow at his entrance, "Whoa, there, blondie! What got shoved up _your _a-"

"KILLUA!"

"-aaaaaanthill. I said anthill." He looked away from Gon's disapproving gaze. Yuei rolled her eyes, "What? So what if he was gonna say a-"

"YUEI!"

"-aaaaaanthill…Oh, I see what you mean." She shivered. "Gon's very convincing. And has very good timing."

Leorio and Sakuno closed the door behind them, setting down their bags next to the others'. "That was the longest ride ever." Leorio rolled his shoulders. "First the boat, then the helicopter, then the limo…"

"Oh, I'm sure you had a _wonderful_ time." Kurapika snapped, grabbing his bag and storming off down the hall. "_I_ sure did, watching you get cozy!" The teacher blinked, "What's with him?"

"The male species must be the most clueless species ever." Yuei did her usual dismissive wave. "Pick a room, any room. Though upstairs is off limits, that belongs to Aniki. And there's only three bedrooms down here. The one closest to the door is mine. I call dibs."

"I'll race you!" Gon called as he snatched up his bag and raced down the hall, Killua hot on his heels. Yuei turned back to the two adults, "Which brings me to the dilemma. Sakuno-san, are you sharing a room with me or Sensei?"

"You ladies should share a room." Leorio smiled warily, "I'm not sure I trust you kids alone." Sakuno turned curiously towards him, "Huh? Yuukio-kun doesn't seem like the type of boy to try anything."

"Oh, I'm not worried about _him_ trying anything." The teacher left it at that, carrying the rest of the bags down the hall. Leaving the girls' bags in front of their door, he peeked in the next room and found the two boys throwing pillows at each other from opposite sides of the room. With an amused smile, he hurried to the last room.

Before he opened the door, he realized that both of the other rooms only had one bed each. They were easily queen-sized, a very plump queen, if he may, so would it be the same in this one as well?With a shrug, he pushed open the door and kicked it closed behind him. "Why hello there, roommate." Kurapika glared up at him, "What do you want?"

"To put down my bag?" He lifted an eyebrow at the blond's icy tone. "What crawled up your a-"

"SENSEI!"

"-aaaaanthill. Man, Gon is good…"

"Shouldn't you be off with the _lovely_ Sakuno?" He hissed, hugging a pillow tightly to his chest. Leorio sighed, plopping down onto the edge of the bed. "You don't like her, do you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Oh, jee, what gave you _that _idea?" Kurapika growled sarcastically, tempted to whack his teacher with the pillow. Which he eventually gave into. Leorio scooted across the bed until he was right next to him. Before he could rethink, he wrapped an arm around the blond and pulled him to his chest, the only thing between them the pillow the student hopelessly clutched.

"I'm not going to demand you like her, 'cause I'm sure you'll just like her less if I do. But can't you give her a chance? You haven't even had a decent conversation…"

"I don't _need _to give her a chance." The blond struggled against his hold. "I don't want to so I won't!"

"Then at least tell me why you hate her so much." Leorio buried his face in his golden locks as he felt the small body go rigid in his arms, and gently stroked his back. "You don't have to like her, I just want to know _why_."

"Because…Leorio-san, you went off with her and _left me_ to freeze outside." Which was only part of his reasons, but it seemed like the less embarrassing part of his recent thoughts. The teacher shook his head, "You didn't like her since the beginning. Some of the things you did and said were very _rude _you know." Kurapika frowned, lowering his gaze to stare at the older man's neck. "She just…she's just so _clingy_. She's like a bug. It buzzes around and just won't seem to die no matter how many times you swat at it. Then you walk away and it follows you. And it won't leave you alone until you are thoroughly… _pissed off_ – for lack of a better term. Even after that, it won't give you the satisfaction of letting you kill it."

Kurapika watched the smooth, tan skin of his teacher's neck. Watched his Adam's Apple move when the man swallowed. His own neck was smooth, pale, and boyish. He sighed, breath brushing the said body part.

"Sakuno likes you." Leorio whispered. "She says you seem like a wonderful kid, and she wishes you'd give her a chance, too."

"I'm a selfish person. I won't give her a chance, no matter what you say." _I'm selfish, because I want you all to myself._

There was a knock on the door and Killua poked his head inside. His eyes scanned them from head to toe once, before he rolled his eyes, "See, I _told_ you they were fine. They're not quiet because they've killed each other!" Gon peeked in as well, eyes wide, "What are you guys doing?"

Killua slammed the door, and footsteps could be heard as they ran down the hall, along with a cry of, "KILLUA!"

XXX

"Did you hear that, Saki? I thought Sakuno and Sensei would be sharing a room, and maybe he and Pika-chan would sneak out in the middle of the night because they couldn't stand being apart. But this is much better!"

Saki poked her head out of Yuei's pocket, clicking two legs together. Yuei grinned, "So, were they…_doing_ anything?" Killua rolled his eyes, "No, idiot. Gon, I told you she'd get the wrong idea."

"But they were doing something." Gon tilted his head to the side as the girl squealed.

"What? What was it? Killua, you liar!"

"They were talking."

Yuei tripped over nothing, perfectly executing an anime faint. She poked Gon's head, "That's not what I meant!" He pouted, "Why does everyone abuse my forehead?"

"Because you are an idiot." Killua poked his forehead with every word, smirking in satisfaction at the boy's expression. "I'm sure I've told you this before."

"Yuei-chan." Sakuno appeared in the doorway to the living room. "I unpacked the food….there's a lot of ramen, I don't think it'll all fit in the cabinets."

"By the end of today, I'm sure the amount will be down considerably." Yuei smirked smugly. "Somebody go get Sensei and Pika-chan, we're going hiking!"

XXX

"How much further?" Gon whispered curiously.

The group had left the cabin an hour ago, and they had still not been told their destination, let alone how far up the mountain it was. As far as the eye could see, it was white, white, white, along with pine trees.

Killua raised an eyebrow, shooting the boy a look over his shoulder. "Why are you whispering? What's the big secret?" Gon lifted a finger to his lips, "Shhh! If you talk too loudly, you'll cause an avalanche! I've seen it happen in movies!" With an amused roll of the eyes, Kurapika hiked on past them.

"Saki!"

They all turned to see Yuei chasing a small red bird, "Give her back, bird!" Saki thrashed from the creature's mouth, clicking her legs together furiously. Gon began chasing the girl, "If you chase it, it'll just fly away."

"What? Am I expected to just _watch_ it kill Saki, then?" She pounced, missing as the bird took off. Thinking Gon's idea was worth a shot, Kurapika held out a hand and whistled, sounding much as the bird had.

The little red bird flew in a wide circle, finally fluttering onto the outstretched hand. With his free hand, Kurapika tapped the bird's beak until it released a rather angry Saki. The spider jumped up into the air, landing on a twig on the snowy-ground, where Yuei then scooped her up from. The bird continued poking the blond's hand, though not hard enough to hurt.

Kurapika held the bird up at eye level, clicking his tongue to mimic the creature's noise. A smile graced his lips as it tilted its head to the side, hoping forward onto his palm. The moment was utterly shattered when an annoyingly gentle voice spoke. "That's the rare _Scarletti_!" Sakuno breathed, awe and excitement practically radiating from her body as she approached. "I've only seen pictures, but I've heard that if one appears, it means you're near your soul mate!" Kurapika didn't like the look she gave Leorio.

"And if you touch one, it means you and your partner will have a long life together!" She continued, smiling hugely as she stretched out her own hand towards the bird, doing a terrible imitation of the bird's speech.

With a startled cry, the bird took off into the crisp air, disappearing from view in a matter of seconds. Blinking, Kurapika took in the woman's disappointed expression and smirked with cold eyes, "Well, it looks like that doesn't apply to you." It was mean, he knew it had hurt her by the light that entered her eyes, and he felt glad. Looking past the woman's shoulder, and seeing Leorio's expression, on the other hand, made guilt swell in his chest.

"I-I meant...that to Saki." The blond lied through his teeth, a fake smile that would have convinced even the greatest of actors splitting his face. "It doesn't seem like she'll have a long life with a soul mate, seeing as she was almost eaten. Unless her soul mate happens to be Yuei-san."

Saki, now back in the safety of Yuei's coat pocket, clicked two legs together irritably. Yuei rolled her eyes, "Yeah, totally. I'm destined with a long, happy life with a spider. A _Spider_, maybe, but a spider? No thanks." Out loud, the statement made absolutely no sense. She decided to keep it that way.

Gon grinned happily, "Ne, ne, but we _all _saw the bird, so does that mean we're _all _standing near our soul mates?"

"That wouldn't work, idiot." Killua scoffed, "If we count Saki, then there's an uneven number." Yuei smirked, "Unless someone has _two _soul mates, unlike the usual."

"I somehow doubt that." Kurapika gratefully stepped away from Sakuno, coming to stand beside Gon. Leorio, who had been uncharacteristically silent for quite a while, finally spoke up, "Maybe someone's in love with the wrong person."

The group became silent, quietly daring the others to break the silence first. Killua shoved his hands into his pockets, continuing up the hill, "This is stupid, it's just a saying anyway." Gon smiled in relief, "Oh, right, I forgot." Sakuno pouted, "But _I _believe in the myth…" She followed the boys up the mountain, keeping close to Leorio. The teacher smiled encouragingly, "Don't mind him, he's like that towards everyone."

"Ojii-san, stop flirting and get a move on!"

"HUH?" He and Kurapika sputtered at the same time. Killua rolled his eyes, "Not _that _kind of move. I meant let's keep walking." Yuei snickered, patting the blond's shoulder, "You're so obvious, I'm surprised you haven't figured everything out for yourself yet."

"What?" He raised an eyebrow as she giggled creepily.

"Its. A. Se-cre-t!" She grinned as Saki clicked two legs together, disappearing back into her pocket.

TBC…

Yuuki: Quick, before I forget, The Scarletti Bird is NOT real! Or if it is, it's a creepy coincidence…I just needed some animal/plant that would have some sort of romantic meaning…for more purposes than one…The name was recommended to me by a friend, who is obsessed with learning random words from random languages…Yup.

Killua: You're such a _girl_! Making us talk about "soul mates"!

Yuuki: Of course, I AM a girl, you know *sweat drop* Want the tomboy? Talk to Niki, not me…Though I don't think I'm excessively girly…Oh, see what you've done? You've made me ramble!

Gon: *assigned song duty again, cuz I just don't seem to learn* Counter! Concentration! My heart beats syncopation! Kagumaru hodu nisa eru naii! Concentration! My soul is in sensation~ kagumuru hodo nisu gadu karara!

Yuuki: I got the lyrics by ear, they are probably wrong…

Everyone: Arigatou!


	14. Drowning

_I see your blue eyes every time I close mine. You make it hard to see…where I belong to when I'm not around you. _– I never told you by Colbie Caillat

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter X Hunter, and never will!

Author's Note: Haha, I just noticed I forgot the disclaimer…So, in case you need reassurance I am not Yoshihiro Togashi, there you go~ ^-^

Chapter 14: Drowning

"Now _this _is the fun part!"

"I'm having trouble seeing the _fun _part." Leorio gulped, clutching the side of the wooden contraption for dear life. Yuei rolled her eyes, "Stop being such a chicken. This is perfectly safe; I've done it a million times!"

Reaching the top of the hill, our group had taken a short break before Yuei had revealed the method of which they were to use to get back down the mountain. A sled had been transformed into a small platform, big enough to hold them all. The two older companions had immediately complained, suggesting they hike back down the way they came. Yuei had merely grinned, "But I told you we would see the whole mountain, not just one side!"

Now she and Gon sat in the very front, Kurapika and Killua peering excitedly over their shoulders. Meanwhile Leorio and Sakuno nervously climbed into the back.

Kurapika looked up as snow began to slowly fall, earthbound. He was about to question the safety of the trip, himself, seeing the grayish clouds near the mountain, but then decided it wasn't such a big deal.

"Ready? Let's go!" Gon chided, driving his body weight forward, the momentum causing them to tip forward and go flying down the slope. There were hardly any trees on this side of the mountain, and they effortlessly managed to swerve around the few that were. Yuei laughed as they began to speed up, "Oh, I forgot to tell you! There's this cliff-"

"CLIFF!" Leorio and Sakuno shrieked.

"-and we go off it, into the air! It's so cool!" She giggled, patting the spider in her pocket. "Saki and I have done this so many times, and it's still fun." Gon grinned, "Is that it? That drop?" Killua leaned forward excitedly, a small blanket of snow coating his already very white hair, "You're the first girl I've ever met who knows how to pass the time."

"I'll take that as a compliment." She smirked, looking over her shoulder, "How you guys holding up?" Kurapika giggled – _giggled_ – at their expressions, feeling slightly giddy from the rush of adrenaline. Looking down the mountain, it seemed much taller than when they had been walking up. Then again, the cabin was located half-way up the side, so they had had less distance to cover on the walk than getting back down.

"Here we go!" She yelled as the tip of the 'sled' neared the drop. Killua blinked, suddenly realizing, "Wait, you said _Saki and you_ have done this. With all of us, the weight-"

The 'sled' pitched off the ground, and was momentarily airborne before dropping sharply towards the faraway ground. Yuei frowned, "It was supposed to go further than this, at an angle…"

"How can you say that as if it's happening to someone else?" Kurapika half-yelled to be heard over the pounding wind. Leorio took a quick peek down, instantly regretting it, "We're gonna land in the water!"

"Well, shit, I can't swim!" Yuei growled. "And neither can Saki!" The spider crawled out of her pocket, a blanket of web tugging her up into the air as she floated away. The girl gaped up at her, ignoring the snow that fell upon her face, "You little traitor! I'm totally coming back to haunt you!" Sakuno whimpered, "That's the least of our worries…" She trailed off and buried her face in Leorio's snow-covered shoulder. Kurapika looked back, opening his mouth to say something, but the jarring that shook the sled cut him off.

Somebody screamed, maybe it was him, maybe it was everyone. But he didn't have long to think about it. Cold, unforgiving water rose past his shoulders, covered his head. The blond had barely had enough time to take a big gulp of air.

He tried to keep a hold on the sled, but there was nothing to hold onto. Kurapika briefly managed to grab something, but it was quickly torn from his grasp. Panicking and unable to breathe, he forced himself to open his eyes. It did no good, he couldn't remember what way was up or down. He couldn't see anything in the hazy water. The only thing that changed was the stinging that attacked his eyes.

It hurt, but if he shut them, it was worse. So the blond opted to pry them open and hope to see something. The treacherous water swirled and churned, flinging the boy against rocks which were too slippery to climb or hold onto. Kurapika couldn't see anything, could feel nothing but the chilling cold.

After some time, his lungs threatened to burst. He needed to exhale, and inhale oxygen. But there was no oxygen in the frigid water for him. Flailing helplessly, he managed to shrug off his coat and watched as it drifted. Since it was soaked, did that mean it was supposed to go down or up? He couldn't remember. He guessed.

Whirling around, Kurapika swam in the opposite direction. His legs and arms were soon exhausted, and he was sleepy, but he willed himself to stay awake. After an immeasurable amount of time, he still had not reached the surface. Perhaps he had guessed wrong.

Resolve lost, he unconsciously exhaled and eagerly sucked in cold and murky water. Chocking, the blond's body immediately attempted to cough as he was thrown against another rock.

The ability to reason and think was lost as Kurapika drifted in and out of unconsciousness. He forgot how to think. He forgot why he had been trying to get somewhere. Where? _Somewhere._ Where's somewhere? _Does it matter_? Should it matter?

Something light touched his back. As he was jarred against another hard surface, he flipped over and coughed. Kurapika gasped in the painfully sharp air, floating on his back purposelessly. Slowly, his brain began to function again.

With a startled gasp, he accidently slipped back underwater. This time, however, he managed to quickly find the surface again.

It was freezing, and the oxygen he greedily gulped in still hurt. But he was alive, and his vision was clearing, though his sense of smell and hearing were still fogy. He caught sight of a drifting piece of wood and eagerly swam over to it. Clutching what he believed to be part of the sled, Kurapika looked around. It was still snowing, albeit lightly, and a small shape was sitting on a nearby rock.

Saki, her mini parachute discarded nearby, was watching him with her many eyes from a small, dry rock. It was sheltered by the roots of a shrub of some sort. She clicked four legs together, disappearing into the shrubbery.

Kurapika rested his head against the piece of wood, arms draped tiredly across it. He was tired, and the rock the spider occupied was much too small for him to climb onto, as were all the other dry rocks, which were few. His hearing cleared up slightly, and he thought his other senses did as well. All he could smell was the cold snow and water. And his sense of touch had gotten worse if anything. His body was so numb, he wondered if he had frostbite.

Pulling off the gloves that stuck to his skin, the blond examined his hands. They weren't his usual peachy color, but they weren't black either. A good thing, he hoped. Though, annoyingly, the bracelet still clung to his wrist.

He tiredly shifted his eyes towards Saki, who had crawled back into view. She stared at him again, clicking four legs together. After receiving no response, the spider took shelter from the snow beneath the shrub.

Then Kurapika remembered the others. Picking up his head, the blond examined the surrounding rocks and water, as well as the faraway-looking mountain. There were many dark shapes, but were they his companions or just other rocks? After a good ten minutes of searching, his mind thoroughly processed his situation.

If he didn't get out of the water, he would freeze to death. The others might've died. And it was all because he hadn't voiced his concern about the snow.

With strength that had long ago been drained out of his body by the frigid water, Kurapika hoisted himself up onto the floating wood, using a nearby rock as support. Straddling the wood, he pushed against the rock and paddled towards Saki's rock.

His fingers felt as if they had fallen off, and inside of his boots his feet might've vanished. There was a red stain across his sweater, and his coat was gone. He took it off, he thought, but he couldn't remember what had happened underneath the water.

Pushing against the lone piece of wood, Kurapika stood on a wobbly leg, balancing tiredly just beside the shrub Saki had hidden in. From here, he had a better view.

Yes, now he was sure that white lump wasn't a rock, nor was it ice.

Taking calming deep breaths, the blond hopped from rock to rock, occasionally slipping and getting a blow from the merciless stones of ice. By the time he had run out of rocks to jump to, his body ached more than when he had been underwater.

He wasn't sure if he even had the energy to reach the figure. He wasn't sure who it was either. They had _all_ been wearing the thick white coats Yuei had given them. And this person was still wearing it, it was weighing them down and their face was under. The possibility of them already being dead didn't cross his mind as he half-dived, half-fell back into the water.

It was colder than he remembered, and momentary panic captured him when he couldn't resurface. He eventually broke up into the air, shivering as he swam towards the floating body. Possibly floating corpse.

He reached them, snatching up their hand. He felt a dim pulse on the feminine wrist. Relieved he had at least reached Yuei, at least _someone_, Kurapika pulled the heavy coat off and let it sink. Flipping the girl over, he was surprised when it wasn't Yuei's face he saw. He had found that woman. Sakuno Miyoshi's life was in his hands, quite literally, to do with as he saw fit.

The decision came easy, and he wrapped his arms underneath hers, lacing his fingers together as he swam backwards, kicking with his feet.

Sakuno was still breathing, but water still filled her lungs and would kill her unless she coughed it up. Squeezing his arms tightly around her torso, he tried to force the water from her throat while continuing to swim. The Heimlich Maneuver was for drowning, right? Or was that for chocking? No, CPR was for chocking. Or was it for writing a book?

Kurapika frowned, urging his brain to function properly. What was he thinking about anyways?

Sakuno coughed up water, eyes fluttering open as she also sucked in the painfully good air. The blond kept his hold around her, though it loosened significantly, just in case she didn't know how to swim. He couldn't quite pinpoint _who_ had declared they didn't know how during the fall. Or perhaps they had spoken it while hiking.

Or maybe they had said they didn't know how to sing his favorite song.

Since when did he have a favorite song?

"Y-Yuukio-san!" The woman gasped, clinging gratefully onto his arms. "You're covered in blood! It's even in your eyes…" She trailed off, stupefied. "Your eyes…"

"You keep this to yourself." Kurapika hissed harshly, "Or I may just change my mind about saving you."

She gulped, nodding her head fearfully.

He cleared his throat, hoarsely adding. "I left part of the sled near a rock, on the rock there's a shrub and Saki is hiding in it. She'll probably come out if someone nears it. You can swim, right?"

She nodded again, slowly. "H-how am I supposed to find it? There's about a million rocks here…"

"Follow those rocks, with the red spots on them…" Kurapika gestured towards the stones he had used to get here, they were dotted with his blood. The slippery rocks had caused him to slip; perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing.

_Oh yes, follow the bloody rock road._

XXX  
Killua gritted his teeth together, whipping his head to one side then to the other. Where the heck was the surface?

"_Well, shit, I can't swim!" Yuei growled. "And neither can Saki!" The spider crawled out of her pocket, a blanket of web tugging her up into the air as she floated away. The girl gaped up at her, ignoring the snow that fell upon her face, "You little traitor! I'm totally coming back to haunt you!" Sakuno whimpered, "That's the least of our worries…" She trailed off, sobs rising in her throat._

_As the sled shook, the tell-tale sign it was about to break apart due to the impact of water, Killua quickly wrapped his arms around Gon and Yuei. He reached out to grab Kurapika as well, but the blond wasn't there. The boy whipped his head to the side to see him turn around and lose his balance, falling away from the rest of the group. He caught the blond's hand for a second, but the water swept him away. As the wood splintered around them, he lost his hold on Gon._

_Black water churned over their heads, disorienting his sense of direction._

Now it had been a very long five minutes, and he was sure the girl he had managed to find was about to run out of air in a matter of seconds. His own lungs were screaming at him in their oxygen-deprived state.

Yuei clamped a hand around her mouth and nose as he let her go to shrug off the dead weight of his coat. It wouldn't keep him any warmer, anyways. It would just be a hassle, especially with the chocolate bars stashed in the pockets. Killua had been looking forward to eating them, too. It really wasn't fair.

Taking hold of the girl again, he drowsily resumed his search for light. But the gray clouds had blocked out the sun, and underwater the light had been completely wiped out.

Something faraway floated across his line of sight. It was long and moved lazily. A snake? No. Drift wood? Hell yeah.

Relief bubbled up in his chest as he eagerly swam towards it, feeling the girl go limp in his arms as she lost hold on oxygen. Ignoring her twitching and spasms, Killua took a moment to examine the tree branch above them, assuring himself it wasn't really a snake.

After what seemed like eternity, they broke through the surface. Legs and arms aching with exhaustion, Killua pounded on Yuei's back until she spat out a whole stream of murky water. He gasped in air as she slowly regained her senses.

Killua pulled Yuei along towards the island shore, extremely thankful they had surfaced near the mountain.

Somehow, the water current had dragged them to the opposite side of the mountain, and he could dimly see the cabin a few miles up. It would be a harsh climb, in their wet clothes and the light snow fall, but they would make it.

When they finally did begin their climb up the snowy mountainside, Yuei croaked out a, "Where's Gon? And Pika chan? What about Sensei and Sakuno-san?" Killua leaned heavily against a tree, "If we managed to make it out, I'm sure they did too…"

"Well, I'm looking forward to pounding Saki's sorry little spider butt." She laughed half-heartedly.

XXX

He hadn't been as far away from the mountain as he had thought.

Kurapika shakily dragged himself towards the cabin. He was close, maybe half an hour more. And when he got there, he could call for help or something. He hadn't managed to find anybody else, but he knew were Sakuno was. She was an adult, so if she hadn't made it to Saki's rock, then it was her own fault.

He had quite literally led her to it with sweat and blood.

The blond gazed upon the steps in relief, staggering forward. The ground rushed up to meet him, but he was already unconscious before he could feel the impact.

XXX

Reaching the main path, Killua collided with a familiar person.

"Killua! Yuei!" Gon grinned exhaustedly, "Are you guys okay?" Killua dusted off his soaked pants, "Well, you certainly always make an entrance." Yuei smiled tiredly, "Hey, Gon."

The three of them continued silently towards the cabin. After exiting the thick trees, they could clearly see the cabin. They could also see a blond sprawled awkwardly against the bottom step.

"Kurapika!" Gon dashed forward, the first to notice him. Flipping the blond onto his back, he sighed in relief at seeing his friend was merely unconscious. Killua kneeled beside him and carefully swung Kurapika onto his shoulder, awkwardly wobbling up the steps.

"For someone so small, this blond thing sure is heavy." He huffed, motioning with his head for someone to open the door. Yuei crawled past him, reaching up to pull open the door, "I am so tired, I'll never be able to stand again."

"_You're_ tired? I was the one who did all the swimming!" Killua rolled his eyes, teeth chattering. "S-someone turn on the heater…like all the way up." While Yuei finally stood up to go off and turn up the heat, Gon found firewood and matches and started a fire in the fireplace. Killua set his blond burden down in front of the fire, carefully looking around.

"There was only one set of footsteps outside before we got here." He murmured. "Those were probably Kurapika's. So that means Ojii-san and Miyoshi are still out somewhere." Gon shivered, "They're okay."

"Huh? How would you know?"

"Well…I sort of feel it." He grinned, oblivious to the vein pulsing on his friend's forehead.

"Just because you _sort of feel something_, doesn't make it true!"

"We should get out of these wet clothes." Yuei re-entered the room, carrying a stalk of towels and bathrobes, along with a bag of blankets. She carelessly dropped them onto the floor and flopped down beside Kurapika, pulling off her boots. "To get warm and dry faster, we could just wear bathrobes and sit in front of the fire." She pulled a large, black trash bag from the large bag, tossing her boots and socks into it. "I'm going to go hide behind that chair. You boys get changed out here. I call truce, so no peeking!" Yuei grabbed a towel and bathrobe, crawling behind the large, cushioned rocking-chair.

"What about Kurapika?" Gon called after her. Her hand appeared around the couch-chair, waving dismissively. "Well, _I'm_ certainly not going to change him. Be a man! He's got nothing you haven't seen!"

Killua and Gon exchanged wide-eyed looks, each silently screaming _no way you're getting _me_ to do it! I don't wanna die!_

Each holding out a hand, they confidently chanted, "Jan! Ken! Po!" Killua held out a flat hand of paper, while Gon sniped his index and middle fingers together in triumph, "Scissors beats paper!" Killua's jaw nearly hit the floor, "But there's a better chance of him not being mad at _you_!"

Gon shrugged, sitting down and tugging his boots off, "You could always get changed first and hope he wakes up before you finish."

"For my sanity, I hope he does…"

TBC…

Yuuki: -A- is it just me, or did I make them get over nearly drowning way too fast?

Killua: *twitch*

Leorio: *staring at Killua* duuuude, you're so luuuuucky…you get to change Kurapikaaaaa

Kurapika: *whacks Leorio with Mokona plushie* Oi!

Yuuki: I don't like this chapter, btw….but I tried re-writing it about a million times, and I can't find another way to make the domino effect continue nyan…

Everyone: Arigatou!


	15. Cold

_You gave me the wings to fly, you are the clear blue sky. I'm floating so free, so high. I'm falling with grace for you and I. _– The Wings by Gustavo Santaolalla

Author's Note: For some reason, I kept accidently writing in first-person starting from Yuei's complaints, so I gave into the urge after the XXX …sorry if it's even worse than my usual writing, but I got annoyed at having to go back and change every other word –A–'

Chapter 15: Cold

Gon tied the bathrobe tightly together, making sure there was no possibility of it coming undone. Slipping his feet into soft white slippers, he sat beside the motionless blond in front of the fire.

Yuei was still hiding behind the chair, waiting for them to tell her they were done. Her wet clothes lay in a pile beside the chair. Killua was taking an awful long time to take off his sweatpants. His boots, socks, gloves, sweater and shirt lay discarded nearby.

"How come _you _always win rock paper scissors?" He complained. Gon grinned, "I know you, so it's easy to read you. Much easier than the school books!" Killua sighed, as the boy turned to face the fire, finally changing into the bathrobe.

A hasty ten minutes later, he called, "You can come out now, we're done."

Yuei scooped up her clothes and dumped it in the bag with everyone else's. She was glad Aniki only liked the large, way-too-big bathrobes, or else they'd have a problem. She rolled the long sleeves up to her elbows, joining them by the fire. Distractedly, she took a glance at their blond friend, making sure Killua hadn't bailed out.

"Do you think Sensei and his friend are okay?" She whispered, resisting the urge to cross her legs. After all, the bathrobes were long, but she should at least _try_ and seem as if she cared about the obvious gender issue. She really should learn how to befriend another _girl_ for once.

"Idiots can't catch colds." Killua muttered. "I'm sure Ojii-san won't get sick. He'll get out." Gon frowned, "But _I've _never caught a cold." He didn't get sick very often, and he had never gotten the common cold. His grandmother had made the joke, which his younger self had then believed, that he was immune to it.

"Which proves my point." The white-haired boy smirked lazily, stretching his arms. Gon pouted but said nothing, merely poked the burning firewood with a stick.

"I looked all along the shore line." He murmured after a while. "I couldn't find them anywhere…Do you think maybe they washed up on another island?" Killua looked up, "The closest island is Whale Island, they would have called or something." Yuei sighed, "Jeesh, you're such a downer. Can't we look at the bright side?"

"And what would that be?"

"We…" She chewed her lip in a pondering gesture, "um…are having these beautiful bonding moments?" She offered with a sheepish smile. Gon poked the firewood again as Killua rolled his eyes.

"What part of this is bonding?" He muttered. "We're talking about sickness and the possibility of being stuck here due to being minors."

They stared at the fire for another long silence. This time, it was interrupted by a groan.

Kurapika rolled onto his stomach, leaning on his elbows, he looked tiredly around the room. Turning to Yuei, he croaked, "Where's Leorio-san?" Her gaze fell to her lap, "I…"

"Gon, where's Leorio-san?" The blond turned towards him, a strange gleam in his aquamarine eyes. Gon looked taken aback, "W-well…I looked for him, but I couldn't find him." He suddenly wasn't sure he 'sort of felt' his teacher's wellbeing. "I-I…I'm sorry…"

"He's _dead_?" He breathed, and Killua wondered if it was really water from his still-soaked hair that ran down his face. Yuei put a hand on his shoulder, "Now, hold on, we don't _know _that-"

"And Miyoshi?" Kurapika turned on her again, "What about her? At least tell me _she's _okay, for his sake…" She shook her head slowly, "I…haven't seen her…"

Killua narrowed his eyes. _Strike fear and despair in those who seek death. Even _you_, Killua, could bring down a desperate man._

The blond stared down at his fingers, clenching and unclenching his hands. "But I told her to wait…"

Yuei frowned, "It's not your fault. Besides, I'm sure they're fine and just taking a while to get up the mountain." Kurapika stumbled to his feet, staggering towards the door. "I should go look for them…" With an irritated growl, Killua jumped up after him and grabbed the blond's wrist, spinning him around. "Are you crazy? It's snowing again!"

Kurapika glared, "I have to-"

Killua had never slapped anyone before, but he realized why people found the action so satisfying.

"You're acting like he's some lost little kid." He growled as the blond stared wide-eyed, holding a hand to his throbbing cheek. "Well, he's not. All you've been doing, Kurapika, is saying you can't stand him and then you turn around and become a Mother Hen. Make up your mind, do you really care or are you just a selfish _prick_?" Killua spun on his heel and plopped down in front of the fire again.

Yuei whistled lowly, "Nice speech."

Gon sat up, "Did you hear that?"

"Yes, that was me whistling."

"No, I meant outside." He jumped to his feet, running past a very dazed blond to the door. "Footsteps." Yuei quickly caught his arm before he could open the door, "Okay, now _you're_ the crazy one! For all we know, it could be some crazy stalker!" Gon frowned, "Why would they follow us here?"

"I told you! _Crazy _stalkers do crazy things!" She crossed her arms, stubbornly blocking the door. "Like…like Hisoka!"

Her eyes widened and she spun around, flinging the door open to run out onto the steps. "Oi, Aniki!" A flurry of snow to the face was all she received in response. "Tell Aniki to stop babysitting me or I'll skin you alive!" Yuei yelled into the howling wind, turning around with a flushed face.

Gon rushed on past her, ignoring the fact that he was wearing mere carpet-slippers. "Look, look, it's Sensei and Miyoshi-san!" He halted near the beginning of the trees, adding, "And Saki!"

Kurapika and Killua ran after him, and Yuei held out a hand to keep the white-haired boy from going any further. She watched Gon and the blond run into the trees, "You weren't really talking about Sensei and Pika-chan, were you?" His expression became guarded, "Why wouldn't I have?"

"_And _you seem awfully _calm_, even when we were stuck underwater."

"You don't seem especially frightened either."

She rolled her eyes, lowering her arm as he continued to run down the porch steps, "Are all boys this clueless or is it just you guys?"

XXX

Gon sneezed, staring in disgust at the tissue in his hands. "Killua!" He called weakly, waiting for the boy to come rushing into their room. He did, and with a roll of the eyes muttered, "Well, what do you know? Idiots _can _catch colds."

It was Sunday, not even 24 hours from the time they had gone hiking up the mountains. After finding the older members of their group, they had dragged the unconscious adults inside and scurried around trying to mop up the melting snow. Now it was morning, and Gon didn't think he'd ever be able to get up from bed again.

"I'm hungry." He complained, "And my head feels like it's gonna explode."

"_You're_ the one who won't take the stupid pill." Killua pointed to the neglected medicine on the nightstand. "And the one who thought it would be just _grand_ if we went out in the middle of a _blizzard_, at _night_, in just _bathrobes_."

"Italics hurt my head!" Gon clutched a pillow to his face, scrunching his eyes shut. "When I had chicken-pox, Mito-san rubbed my belly to help me fall asleep…" He took a peek at Killua's face as the other boy flopped down onto the bed beside him.

"I know the similarities are astounding, but I'm not Mito-san." He pulled the pillow from his grasp and tossed it onto his stomach, resting his head against it. "So you'll have to settle for this, idiot." Gon raised an eyebrow. He had been expecting the witty comment, yes, but he had thought his friend would just re-exit the room. Though, of course, he wasn't about to start complaining.

XXX

"Yuei-chan?"

Yuei growled a few nasty words under her breath. "What?" She barked. During the last few hours Sakuno had been awake, Yuei had realized the short extent of her temper for mothers. _This_ was exactly why she liked living with just herself and Aniki. Moms were so _annoying_.

"Can I get you something?" Sakuno poked her head into their room, worry creasing her forehead. She wore a dirty apron around her waist and had her hair pulled back in a tight bun. She blew flyaway hair from her face distractedly. "You've been quiet for a while now."

"I'm trying-" She took a moment to cough, "-to fall asleep! Stop nagging, woman!" The older woman frowned, "That cough doesn't sound good."

"Of course it doesn't!" She hissed. "I'm sick! Since when do coughs _ever_ sound good?" _Some vacation this turned out to be!_

"Miyoshi-san." Kurapika appeared behind her, holding a tray of dishes, "Sensei finished eating." She smiled widely at him, happiness practically radiating from her very being.

Yuei held a hand above her squinting eyes. _Aniki, I see a light at the end of my tunnel vision!_ She laughed inwardly at her own joke, her throat too sore to do so out loud. And she would have, ignoring the fact that it would make her seem incredibly strange. As if everyone didn't think that already!

Saki crawled lazily back and forth inside the tank placed on the bedside table, clicking three legs together in exasperation. Could Yuei tell the spider's mood with just a glance? Why, yes, yes she could.

"You haven't eaten all day, should I make you something?" The older woman took the tray gratefully while the blond shook his head, a very real-looking smile plastered to his face, "No thanks, Miyoshi-san." He turned and carelessly sped back down the hall.

With a snort of amusement, Yuei let her head fall back to the pillow as Sakuno disappeared into the kitchen.

XXX

~Kurapika's POV~

"Leorio?" I asked just to be sure he was still alive. I closed the door behind me and went over to the bed.

"Yuukio-kun, that you?" Leorio asked, saying it like it was the most amusing joke he'd ever said. I nodded and pulled a chair closer to the bed. "Yeah, it's me. You should be sleeping." I whispered, just in case he had a headache again, and was about to go back to reading a book when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the chair.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, trying to get my arm away while not hurting him. "Let me go." He pulled me even closer, so that I was practically on top of him. "I've been havin' these dreams lately." Leorio slurred, making me believe he was slightly delusional due to his fever. "And you're always sayin' these weird things and turning into Pietro..."

I rolled away from him, and ended up pinned between Leorio and the wall. I rolled my eyes, "Oh, really? Like what?" I sat up, trying to crawl over him to get back to my chair. The book lay neglected on the floor now, mistreated. "You're sick, you should be sleeping."

"No, no, no!" Leorio protested, grabbing my hips and keeping me above him. Holy duck, holy duck, this was _way _too close for comfort. I grimaced, _who says holy duck? I'm such a dork._

"Sensei, you have a fever and you're being delusional. Should I get Miyoshi-san to give you some medicine?" I asked quietly, hands quivering as I awkwardly tried to pry him from me.

"Don't leave." He whimpered. "Don't leave again." A gasp was torn from my mouth as he flipped us over, pressing our bodies tightly together. Leorio leaned down to my ear, whispering pleadingly, "Can I kiss you?"

TBC…

Yuuki: I have no idea why I suddenly wanted to switch to first person…tell me which you like better? *shrug* I might as well ask, seeing as I'm not especially fond of either style…

Killua: holy duck? *snicker* don't tell me _you_ say that…

Yuuki: I do NOT! *mumbles* out loud…

Gon: *giggle*

Kurapika: *peeks over shoulder* what are you doing?

Gon: *turns around with guilty grin* well…I found this song while on song-hunting-duty…

Gon, Killua: *link arms and march in circle* Honey, honey! I heard about him before! I wanted to know some more! And now I know one thing! He's a love machine! Oh, he makes me dizzy! Honey, honey!

Everyone: ARIGATOU!


	16. Support

_I said no more teachers, and no more books. I gotta kiss under the bleachers, hoping that nobody looks. _– My First Kiss by 30h 3 Ft. Keisha

Author's Note: About the song…I think that line is the only part that fits *sheepish grin* I just felt like pointing that out…

Chapter 16: Support

"Can I kiss you?" Leorio repeated, lips brushing my ear.

Shivers ran up my spine as I opened my mouth to say _no, now get off of me!_, but he didn't give me a chance to answer. Before I could even think of a way to get myself out of this situation, Leorio's mouth was hot on mine.

Even with the fact that I most certainly did _not_ want this, even with the smell of cough medicine and chicken soup on his lips, even though I thought this was _wrong_, the kiss was sweet and perfect. And I felt myself melting against his mouth, maybe even pressing against him, too. It wasn't until something warm and wet ran along my bottom lip that I realized exactly _what _was going on.

I kept my mouth shut tight, pounding against his chest with my hands.

He was kissing me. _Kissing_ me. Leorio, my teacher, Leorio, was actually kissing me. And we were in such a compromising position that if someone walked in there would be little left to their hormone-infested imagination.

When Leorio made no move to even suggest he noticed my weak protests, I tried to pry his face off mine with my hands, pushing at his head. Though, all this did was encourage him to continue. The teacher moved his own hands down my sides, eventually pinching my stomach. Like, really hard.

I involuntary gasped in surprise, and he quickly took the chance to slide his tongue into my mouth. For the first time since I'd met him, the possibility of him _trying _something as an ulterior motive entered my mind. Despite his obvious fondness for Sakuno, I'd never heard of him having a girlfriend. I whimpered against him, deciding I didn't care. At that moment, if he wanted something, anything, I probably would have given it to him.

As his tongue ran over my teeth, I brought my hands to his back, feeling his warm body through the thin fabric of his shirt. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I closed my eyes, tangling my fingers in his short hair.

I pulled back long enough to take a ragged breath before Leorio pulled us back together, hungrily exploring the inside of my mouth. Countless minutes passed in much the same pattern, the possibility of him finding the 'family secret' barely grazing my consciousness.

Leorio detached his mouth from mine, pulling back only far enough to stare down at me. I flinched under his gaze, though I wasn't sure why, and scrunched my eyes shut again in embarrassment. The color of my face could probably rival Gon's aunt's hair.

"You're…" He placed a hand on my flustered cheek, making me open my eyes. "…beautiful, wonderful, and absolutely amazing…" He whispered, a slightly disappointed look on his face. "But…Sakuno…"

I couldn't quite pinpoint the reason for the sudden lump in my throat as I chocked out a, "S-Sakuno?" Leorio brushed his thumb against my kiss-bruised lips, nodding. "She'll be upset with both of us." He bent down again, hand roaming to the zipper of my sweater. He unzipped it slowly,

"Oh, poor her." I snapped, shoving him away and hopping off the bed. Leorio grabbed my arm, "Wait, Pie-"

"Stop playing this game." I wrenched my arm from his grasp, making an escape out the door. Slamming said door behind me, I made a beeline to the kitchen and yanked a box of ramen from the cabinet.

Sakuno watched quietly as I boiled a cup of water, confusion written plainly across her face. "Is something wrong?" She asked quietly, placing a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged her off, sarcastically muttering, "No, of course not. I just act angry whenever everything is fine to keep myself entertained."

She took deep breaths, probably trying to keep herself from crying. Sakuno Miyoshi must be the biggest baby I have ever met. She stayed like that until I poured the water into the cup of ramen.

"You don't like me very much, do you?" Sakuno whispered shakily. I rolled my eyes, "Now you two are saying the same thing? Go ahead and have your happy life together, don't mind me. I'll just run around and try to find…I'll just run around." I finished, finding we had only brought chopsticks.

"I don't know what I did to make you hate me. Is it because of Leorio?" She continued nonetheless. I whirled around to face her, finding her flinch very satisfying, "And _why _would I care about him? We have a strictly student-teacher relationship and frankly, I don't bloody care who he chooses to obsess over any more than I care about why that wall is white."

I grabbed the cup of ramen and quickly left the kitchen, not caring that the noodles had not properly soaked in the water.

There wasn't anywhere I could go, here in the cabin, that didn't involve having to interact with other people, so I decided to head outside and sit on the steps.

Slipping on shoes and a light coat, I soundlessly sneaked outside. It wasn't snowing anymore, as I sat down to eat the ramen, but there was still a thick coat of it everywhere. Our footsteps from last night had already vanished.

My lips still tingled and I wondered if Sakuno had noticed the disheveled state of my hair and clothes. I stared emptily at the cup full of ramen, poking it with the chopsticks. Leorio had…done that…to me, and I had let him. And right after I had tried to be nice to Sakuno, he decides to give me another reason to dislike her.

I brought a hand to my mouth, making a strangled sound.

I let the ramen fall to the ground, curling into a pitiful little ball as is seeped into the snow. And for the first time in five years, I wanted to cry.

I didn't, of course, but I _wanted _to. Really badly. But I couldn't, just as I couldn't run inside to yell and scream at my teacher. So what could I do? With a shaky sigh, I stood and headed back into the cabin. I needed Leorio to get to Yorkshiin, so I should try and stay on his good side, right?

"Yuukio-kun?" Sakuno poked her head out from the kitchen, warily approaching. Taking a deep breath as I shrugged off my coat, I smiled, "Yes, Miyoshi-san? Do you need something?"

She blinked rapidly, mouth falling open slightly. "U-uh….I-I was actually going t-to tell you…I'm leaving on Tuesday."

"Ehhhh?" I acted dismayed, "But I was looking forward to spending the week with you. Sensei will be disappointed. You should stay!"

Sakuno gawked as I walked over and took her hands in mine, "I completely support you and sensei, by the way. And he's told me he's very much attracted to you as well." Bleh, I feel like vomiting.

"He did?" She asked, astonished. "I was beginning to think he didn't really like me that way…" I nodded encouragingly, clasping her hands together, "You should have seen his face when he told me you were visiting. He was ecstatic!"

"S-should I ask him out?" She whispered, a slight blush on her face. I shook my head roughly, "No!" Sakuno frowned, "Huh?"

"I-I mean…" I smiled again, "You don't want to come on too strong or he _might _lose interest. After all, a male is a male no matter who he is. Have a casual conversation first. Here, let's practice, I'll pretend to be Sensei, and you ask me some questions."

"A-about what?" She fidgeted nervously as I took a step back. I crossed my arms, "Um…about stuff. Ask me…" I looked around the room before finally coming back to look at her. "…if I like…curtains."

She chocked back a laugh, "D-do…you like curtains?"

"Why yes, I like the ones on that window." I pointed to the window beside us, "See? That wasn't so hard!"

"We're talking about _curtains_." Sakuno emphasized 'curtains' in a slightly exasperated voice. I shrugged indifferently, "So? Conversation is conversation. C'mon, you should cook him something special." I led the protesting Sakuno back to the kitchen.

XXX

"I think we've been forgotten." Yuei whispered, slowly sneaking out of her room. Saki sat on her shoulder, clicking two legs together. Taking a quick glance up and down the hall, the girls tip-toed into the kitchen.

It was late afternoon, and in a few hours they would leave the cabin to get back to Whale Island. It had been a long while since Sakuno had come to bother her, and she was hungry. Opening the fridge, Yuei licked her lips as she found a tub of ice cream.

"What are you doing?"

She turned sheepishly, "Um…nothing." Kurapika raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really? What's that, then?" Yuei put away the ice cream in disappointment, pouting, "Way to go and rain on my ice cream parade, Pika-chan. Shouldn't you be off nursing Sensei back to health?"

"Miyoshi-san is doing a fine job of that." He rolled his eyes, leaning against the counter and whipping out a book. Yuei turned her head to read the title of the book. "Oh, I've read that one. With Alfred and Monica…" She smirked. "And James…He always reminded me of a rabbit I met once." The blond shot her a look, "How interesting."

"Yep. You know how James is always loyal to Alfred, even giving up his chance with Monica, the most beautiful person in the world, to stay with him." She sighed dramatically, "Oh, the love-triangle. It made me cry, that one."

Kurapika snorted softly, "Sure. Where're Gon and Killua?"

"In their room." She waggled her eyebrows, "Which reminds me…I got up to go to the bathroom-"

"Do I really need to know this?"

"-and I passed by your door." She smirked widely. "Oh, Pika-chan, you're wonderful, beautiful, and absolutely _amazing_." She clapped at the blush that spread across his face. "So, so, so? Have you _finally _gotten it past your blond head that you two are made for each other?"

"No." The blond buried his face further into his book. "Unless by 'you two' you mean Miyoshi and Sensei."

"Oh, please." She waved her hand in a 'you've got to be kidding' manner. "Those two have about as much of a chance as I do with…" Yuei leaned back against the fridge. "…with…anybody, really. I am strictly engaged with me, myself, and I. But for example's sake, let's say with Killua. Weird kid, he is. The day Sensei and Miyoshi get together is the day I get together with Killua."

After a moment of silence, Yuei snatched the book away from him, "C'mon, blondie, let's go tell them to get their bags packed up." He groaned in annoyance, nonetheless following her in hope of getting back his book. Quietly, the two teens walked down the hall and peeked into his and Leorio's room.

"What the-…" Yuei gaped, quickly shutting the door on the two cuddling adults. Kurapika spun on his heel and marched back down the hall, "Well, I wish you and Killua a happy future." Saki clicked two legs together as the two boys emerged from the room next door.

"You wish what and Killua a _what_?" Killua growled while Yuei just squeaked out a, "I'm not a _what_!" Gon yawned, a blanket wrapped tightly around him, "What's going on?"

"Nothing!" Kurapika barked, "I'll be in the kitchen, if anybody _cares_!"

"Whatcha gonna eat? Ramen?"

"Yes, yes I will!" He disappeared into the kitchen, book forgotten, "That's all I'm good for, apparently!" Killua snorted softly, "Is it just me, or does he remind me of a jealous high school girl?"

"Pika-chan has just seen the most horrific sight." Yuei defended. "I, myself, feel up to some ramen." She followed the blond into the kitchen. Killua and Gon exchanged glances, then looked to the door. Opening it slightly, they watched the two adults lying on the bed.

Leorio and Sakuno were lying closely together with their heads propped up on about a dozen pillows. And when they shifted slightly, the blanket moved aside to reveal a small portable DVD player. Sakuno giggled, poking him playfully, "Remember that? All the little ducks followed Pietro _everywhere_."

Gon closed the door, confusion evident on his face, "Ne, Killua, I didn't think watching videos was so scary."

TBC…

Yuuki: *yawn* I'm sleepy…meow…

Niki: *waves* Hi! I is Yuu-chan's BESSSSST FrIIIIEND~

Killua: Oh, great, another weirdo to add to the group…

Niki: *smirks and pokes Yuuki* You know, despite your "bad" writing skills, as you call them, you seemed awfully…descriptive in the first scene…

Yuuki: =/./= n-not really…

Gon: Review please!

Everyone: ARIGATOU!


	17. Trickster

_Why I'm alone and freezing. Why you're in the bed that she's in. And why I'm just left alone to cry. _– So Cold by Ben Cocks

Author's Note: Jeesh, author's notes are addicting…anywho, instead of the above song, I listened to "If I Had You" by Adam Lambert starting from after Leo's dream…just felt like putting that out there…both are awesome songs!

Chapter 17: Trickster

Leorio was sitting in a large field, and he could see the blond sitting on the other side. For once, he knew it was Kurapika and not Pietro he was seeing, he could clearly see the slight form of his student.

But that same student seemed intent on ignoring his very existence. So Leorio decided to get up and walk over to him, to find out why.

Even though moments ago they had seemed miles apart, now they were mere steps away from each other. Leorio crossed his arms, "Why are you ignoring me?" Finally, Kurapika stood and turned to face him.

"I'm supposed to stay here. You're supposed to stay there." The blond droned expressionlessly, "Can't you see the wall?" As if from nowhere, a wall made entirely of small faces appeared between them. Even though the faces were too small to be recognizable, Leorio could clearly see Sakuno and Pietro within the sea. It was just a dream, after all. It didn't have to make sense.

That's right. It was a _dream_. He could do whatever he wanted if he just thought of it.

Leorio willed the faces away, and they did just that, disappearing in a puff of smoke like firecrackers. Without wasting a second, he took those last steps forward and scooped Kurapika into his arms, burying his face in his soft golden hair.

It was _his_ dream, so he could do whatever he wanted, right? He could just stand there, like this, until harsh reality decided to give him a wakeup call.

"What the heck are you doing!"

With a groan, Leorio opened his eyes. "Whaaat? I was having a good dream…" Killua's lip twitched, "Oh, really? What was it about? Do you _enjoy_ raping your students' butts, Ojii-san? Let go!" The teacher bolted to a sitting position, holding up his arms, "Oops…"

They were sitting on a bench, on a boat, and Leorio could see the sun through the nearby window. "It's morning?"

"Yeah." Killua slid away from him warily, taking out a chocolate bar. "Miyoshi already called the school while you were asleep." After a moment, he added slowly, "That blond thing is out on the deck."

"Thanks." Leorio got to his feet and stretched his arms as he wandered around the inside of the boat, trying to find a door that led outside. But the boat seemed to have an impossible amount of doors. Eventually he stumbled out into the sunshine.

It was warm, a change from the snowy mountain which he could see in the distance, and there was a slight spray of water from the ocean. With his cold completely gone, Leorio took steady steps to the front of the boat. And there he found a very comforting sight.

Kurapika was leaning his elbows against the rails, one foot tapping to his own rhythm. The sunlight brought out streaks in his golden hair, like a halo of white light. For once, the blond didn't seem to have his guard up, and his eyes were like the calm waves that lapped at the boat.

_How poetic of you_, Leorio thought with a chuckle, coming to stand beside his student. "Good morning." And just like that, the guard was up again.

"Sensei." Kurapika nodded in a form of greeting, refusing to look him in the eye. "You shouldn't be out here, you could get sick again…" He trailed off with a sigh, leaning his head against his arm. Leorio raised an eyebrow, though it went unseen. "Something wrong?"

"Is _something wrong_?" The blond asked in disbelief, eyebrows bunching together. "You…remember, don't you?"

"Remember what?" Seeing the boy's expression, he added, "I've been having these delusions, so I'm not sure what was reality and what I made up." Kurapika straightened, a large smile on his face. Leorio thought he looked pained.

"_Je vous hais, ma chérie_." He briskly walked away, leaving the teacher to wallow in confusion. The older man blinked slowly, calling after him, "Je what, me what?" Receiving no answer, he ran after the retreating back, catching up in a few long strides.

"More French?"

"The Rukuso Mountains are located in the Francia Province." The blond muttered unwillingly, "My family traveled a lot, and we spent a lot of time there." Leorio made a mental note to use the magical powers of the internet to translate the earlier sentence.

"Teach me something. It'll help pass the time." He suggested, catching the student's hand. "Please?" Kurapika faced him with a smirk, "_You're_ the teacher, aren't you? Teach _me_ something _interesting_."

"You have really got to stop doing that. It freaks me out." Leorio laughed nervously. The blond tilted his head, turning his body to face him completely, "Doing what, _Professeur_? Do you mean _this_?" He twisted his hand so that their fingers were interlaced. "Or maybe _this_?" He pulled on their hands, holding out a foot and sending the older man to the floor. With a huff, Kurapika left the teacher to stumble back to his feet.

"Are you bipolar or something?" Leorio yelled after him, face flushed a deep shade of red.

"Leorio…?" Sakuno leaned her head out the kitchen window, waving him over. "There's…something I need to tell you."

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

Stupid, stupid, stupid! _Stupide_! Telling him something like that, about Rukuso, he could easily find my heritage…And he doesn't even bother to remember that he-…did that…to me! I'm sure he remembers perfectly about his cuddle session with Miyoshi.

"There's no ramen left, sunshine." Killua murmured distractedly as I stomped in, not looking up from the manga in his lap. "You and Yuei gobbled up all of it last night."

"I don't want ramen."

"Heartbreak so bad even ramen can't fix it? What _did _you two do this time?" He looked up, watching as I shuffled across the room.

"_Tais-toi, chose blanche_!" I snapped, ducking behind the counter and digging through the boxes. "Just shush!" Killua fell out of his chair, "You just-…" He jumped to his feet and hurried over, slamming his hands onto the counter. "That accent sounds authentic!" He accused.

"So?" Giving up on the boxes, I stood and walked to the higher cabinets. The white-haired pest decided to follow.

"Nobody has that kind of accent anymore." Killua stressed. "It died with that family…You're a Kuruta!" I cursed under my breath as I hit my head on the top of the cabinet and turned around. "I'm a _what_? Don't be stupid, they all died a long time ago!"

I yelped, finding he was suddenly right there in front of me, and stepping forward until my back hit the counter. He held a hand to my face, thumb making circles underneath my eye, "I know you're a bookworm, but you'd have to know what you're looking for to find a Kuruta book." I realized that even if he and Gon were a year younger, he was already at least half-a-head taller than me.

"I…" I froze, looking down at the finger that continued tracing its circles. The nail was elongating, a small line of blood dotting where it passed. The image of that nail digging in and gouging out my eyes suddenly attacked my mind. The picture was so real, I thought it had really happened. But I could still see his hand, my sight hadn't dimmed. Though now there was a red hue to everything.

The nail retracted to its normal length, and I forced myself to meet Killua's gaze. "_Satisfait_?"

He continued to trace circles on my skin, wiping away the drops of blood there. "I don't know much French but _si vous blesser Gon ou Yuei, je vais te tuer_." I opened my mouth to snap back some witty remark, but bailed out at the last second. Which left me gaping like some demented fish, but I doubted he'd start teasing any time soon. Instead, I focused my attention on my eyes until they were back to normal.

"What," A voice squeaked from the doorway, "are you two _doing_?"

We looked up to see Sakuno and Leorio staring wide-eyed at us. Acting normal after something weird happened seemed to come naturally now. A blush crept to my cheeks, "_Ce n'est pas_-…I mean…this isn't what it looks like!" With a sly smirk, Killua leaned closer, eyes never leaving the adults'.

"Oh? So you're just that cozy with everyone?" He chuckled softly at my bewildered expression, smirking at Leorio. "Did you know that he has this little birthmark on his-"

"KILLUA!" I pulled on his ear. "When did-"

"_I _was the one who got you into the bathrobe. Don't tell me you didn't notice." Killua snickered, pressing us closer to the counter until I had to arc my back to keep the edges from digging painfully into my flesh.

I really wanted to faint right then.

My hand fell from his ear as his other arm came around my waist. I pitifully pushed at his chest, "Let me go already." With a peek at our little audience, I noticed Leorio looked strangely…annoyed. And despite my mind screaming at me to punch Killua and get the heck away from here, I decided to play along. _I am so going to regret this…_

"_Oh, Killua, pas ici_…there are people watching…" I inwardly shuddered in disgust, watching the mischief grow in his eyes. Killua turned away from Leorio and Sakuno, leaning his forehead against mine. "That's their problem, princess." I smiled, digging my nails into his back until he winced. "I don't like being rude…" Or being called 'princess'.

"Hey." Leorio put a hand on Killua's shoulder, pulling him away. "You guys are _way_ too young to be doing things like that."

I wanted to point and scream _hypocrite_, but refrained myself from doing so because it would be un-lady-like.

…

I just indirectly called myself a girl.

…

I think I've gone insane.

"I'm 16." Killua scoffed. "And Ku-ra-pi-ka is 17. In two years, we'll both be adults." Sakuno came to stand beside our teacher, a motherly-like expression on her face. "But then there's college and getting a job. And I believe in marriage before…that."

I covered my mouth with a hand, attempting to smother my laughter. They had bought it! Really, I didn't think we were doing such a great job of convincing anybody. Thinking about what we were doing, it wasn't such a good idea in the long run. Lying was such an annoying and tiresome thing. I'd rather not add something else to my 'must-remember' list. But then again, it was probably worth it. At least, it was at the moment.

"What _you_ believe is of no important to us." He continued, draping an arm around my shoulders. "So unless you have nothing better to do, shoo."

"Well, you two don't even know each other that well." Leorio crossed his arms stubbornly, eyebrow beginning to twitch. I leaned my head against Killua's shoulder, gathering enough wits to keep myself from laughing. "I know _plenty_."

I must be possessed. The only reasonable explanation is momentary insanity. Or maybe it's the permanent kind. Either or.

"Like _what_?" Sakuno put her hands to her hips, a deep frown etched on her forehead. Killua tapped my shoulder absentmindedly, "Like…his favorite color is red." Well, whaddaya know? Gon's Lab Partner Bonding Moment came in handy after all.

"And," He continued, "he makes this adorable little squeaking sound when you pinch his side." Before I had time to react, the white-haired boy's arm disappeared from my shoulder. I squeaked, startled, at the pinching pressure below my arm.

"See? Now, if you'll excuse us…" Killua led me away from the room, quickly making our escape from their disapproving gazes.

Reaching the small room bellow deck, I dropped to the ground, hugging my sides and laughing. Killua watched in amusement, a low purring sound rising in his throat.

I wasn't sure what had made tricking them so funny, but I wasn't about to start complaining. It felt good to laugh and not care how stupid I looked squirming here on the floor. It wasn't like anyone was watching, anyway. Well, besides Killua. But I didn't really mind his presence.

After I had calmed down enough to sit up straight, Killua plopped down next to me.

"I guess I should apologize. Sorry for slapping you the other day." He murmured. I shrugged. "Let's not ruin the 'bonding' moment, okay?"

Above our heads, a song started playing. From the sounds of it, Gon had found the stereo. With a nod, Killua stood and offered me his hand. "May I have this dance?" Taking his hand, he pulled me to my feet. I grinned lazily, "Of course you may."

Somehow, we made it to the top of the stairs in a terribly executed waltz before tripping over our own feet in a laughing heap on the floor.

TBC…

Yuuki: I was listening to "If I Had You" by Adam Lambert the whole time I was writing this, I have no idea why XD But he makes me want to wear makeup…which is really weird…Another thing that's weird is that meh friend is all 'I approve of your Lambert obsession' when I told him about the makeup thing

Killua: ._.

Yuuki: AND have any of you guys read the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare? I just got finished City of Ashes, and I heard they're making a movie. I want Adam Lambert to play Magnus Bane! *fangirl squeal* That'd be so awesome! And Alex P. (I forget his last name, but he was in Stormbreaker as Alex Rider) as Jace Wayland! I would totally go into fangirl overdrive…

Leorio: …

Yuuki: What?

Gon: . Yuu-chan…is ranting about boys…

Yuuki: HUH? I may be strange, but I'm still a teenage girl. What girl could resist Magnus Bane the Sexy Sparkly High Warlock of Brooklyn?

Kurapika: *clears throat*

Yuuki: Oh, right…anyways…I used Google Translate for the French…And for the 'mon âme' that Kura called Leo-tan...My friend had told me that meant 'darling' but then I looked it up today and realized it means 'soul' …GOMENASAI!

Everyone: Arigatou!


	18. Found

_Before I go insane, I hold my pillow to my head. And spring up in my bed, screaming out the words I dread "I think I love you"_ – Do you think you love me? I think I love you

Chapter 18: Found

"Aniki, I'm HOOOOOME!" Yuei yelled, kicking the door closed behind her. The usual silence greeted her. With a snicker, she dragged her suit case to the living room and ran off to the backyard.

A grin on her face, she slid open the back door, "Phinx! I got you a present!" With a smirk, she attached the magazine to a fishing hook and casted it out into the tall grass. When the slightest tension entered the line, she pulled with every ounce of strength in her short body, arms above her head.

Holding onto the magazine by his mouth, a man was dragged onto the small platform they called a porch. Yuei grinned, patting the eyebrow-less man's head. "Where's Aniki?"

Phinx got to his feet with all the dignity, which wasn't much, he had left. "How should I know? I was just hanging out back here…" She took the magazine, chibily staring at him. "Where…is Aniki?"

"He's inside." A young man with light brown hair poked his head out the door. Yuei sped past him, "Thanks, Shal!" He blinked, seeing Phinx roll his eyes. "What?"

"I still don't get why you and Danchou put up with that brat."

Shalnark shrugged, disappearing back inside. "Ask Saki." With a gulp, Phinx looked down at the spider that now resided on his shoulder. Saki clicked two legs together, the spider version of a smirk appearing on her face.

XXX

Gon kicked off his shoes, quickly running up the steps. "Mito-san! Obaa-san! We're home!"

Killua flopped down onto the couch while the other boy ran around, exhausted. Calling a weak 'Hello' he buried his face in a home-made pillow, breathing in the familiar scent that Gon's Aunt seemed to carry with her. It wasn't as if he hadn't enjoyed the small vacation, or skipping out on a Monday, but he was glad they were home.

Looking up as Gon and Mito-san came down the stairs, he wondered if a certain blond was handling their teacher well. Their small joke had gotten out of hand by the time they'd actually reached Whale Island.

Maybe disappearing for a good few hours hadn't been such a great idea. But then again, it had been fun.

"And then Killua and Kurapika came upstairs and we started dancing weirdly. Yuei started a Conga Line and we went all around the ship!" Gon babbled, flailing his arms for emphasis. "And then she tried teaching us this ballroom dancing stuff, and we couldn't figure out if Kurapika or I should be the girl, so we linked arms and skipped around the room. And then, then, then, I danced will Killua and I kept stepping on his feet!"

"You seem to have had more fun on the ride back than on the mountain." Mito-san observed, chuckling. Killua stretched his arms, yawning. "Oh, that's 'cause we almost drowned."

"WHAT?"

"He's kidding! Right, Killua?"

"…"

XXX ~Kurapika POV~

I was being ignored. And it was starting to get really irritating.

Getting yelled at would have been better than this. That was much less painful than the silent treatment. And it wasn't just Leorio either. Miyoshi was just as quiet.

They were talking, yes. But not to me. The two of them had hushed conversations amongst themselves. And just when I was starting to get used to it, they erupted into loud fits of laughter. Then when I was thoroughly annoyed again, they would shush down.

Now we were inside of the house, where I retreated to my room. But no, the torture didn't end there.

The two of them decided they simply _had _to have their conversations right outside my door, where I could hear them perfectly. And they were ignoring my very existence, even when I had tripped over Sakuno's bag. So was I just going to put up with it? Let them crack first? That was the initial plan, yes.

But it was so _hard_.

"Okay, _fine_!" I flung open the door, marching up to them so that they _couldn't_ ignore my presence. "It was a _joke_! Killua and I didn't _do _anything! We were talking about- stuff…And then you two came in and he wanted to trick you. Don't ask me why, I don't know. Don't scowl at me!"

"I wasn't scowling."

"You were about to." I growled, crossing my arms. Leorio ran a hand through his hair, leaning against the wall. "That wasn't a very appropriate joke. There are sicknesses and diseases you can get if you don't know what you're doing…or even if you do."

Arms falling back to my sides, I gawked at him. "You don't…you don't believe me!" Sakuno took a cautious step towards me. "It's not that we don't _want _to believe you. You just don't seem like the type of person who would play that kind of trick."

"_You _don't know me!" I snapped. "Then how am I supposed to convince you?" Leorio pointed to the room behind me, "Inside. Now." Oh, great, he's decided to be a dad and send me to my room. How did I get myself into this situation?

"Fine." With a huff, I stomped back into the room, flopping onto the bed. I didn't expect for him to follow me in. So when he did, I propped myself up on my elbows.

"Take your pants off."

My indigent scream of "WHAT?" followed directly after his statement. How could someone say that with such a straight face? "I'd rather be roasted alive!"

"I'll keep that in mind." He advanced on me quickly, determination set deep on his face. "You said I should keep trying to be a doctor, so consider this a practice session. Clothes off. Right now." I rolled to the side, dropping to my feet on the floor so that it was between us. "W-why should I?"

"Because you want to prove that you and Killua didn't do anything, right?"

"This won't prove anything!" I yelled, voice rising several octaves with every word. Has he never heard of modesty? This is madness! We're not even related! There was no way someone I'd known for little over one week could make me do this. Even if Leorio wanted to be a doctor, we weren't exactly the usual doctor-patient pair. It would be extremely awkward.

"What are you so afraid of? It's not like you've got anything I haven't seen."

"Yes, I do!"

Seeing his eyes widen, I realized my bad choice of words. I flailed my arms in front of me, "I didn't mean it that way!" Really, the confusion over my gender was getting old…darn genetics! Why'd you give _me_ all the girly traits?

So intent on my thoughts, I was a second late in recognizing the fact that Leorio had jumped onto the bed. Quickly, I jumped right through his arms, catching the other end of the bed and swinging myself under it. It was dark and dusty, and as I crawled towards the wall the dust spiraled around me.

Leorio dropped to the floor and crawled under, narrowly missing my foot. There wasn't much space here, so it wasn't long before I was cornered against the wall. I pulled my legs closer to my body, half of my face pressed to the floor. I had to wait for the exact moment the teacher tried to catch me again, to make a dive for the edge of the bed.

Instead, he just stared with a frown etched on his mouth. After only a few seconds, I dropped my gaze, looking anywhere but at him. And under the bed, there wasn't much else to look at. I eventually found myself examining the teacher again. My eyes traveled over his tan forehead, down to his nose and then to his lips.

"You didn't do anything, right? With Killua? Nothing…?" Leorio asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. I nodded slowly, "It was a joke. We don't hold any romantic attraction towards each other." He sighed through his nose, crawling closer. He placed his hand on my face, tracing the small scratch from that morning. "I wanna try something."

"Try…something?" My face warmed as he drew closer. "What 'something'?" When his face was mere centimeters from mine, my eyes drooped closed. Leorio's hands came to rest of my shoulders, and mine automatically went to his. Why I kept still instead of running off to hide was beyond me.

So when his lips pressed to my forehead for a moment before he pulled away, I was extremely confused. I opened my eyes, a slight pout on my face. "Leorio-san…?"

"You," He taped my nose with a finger, "have been quite a naughty little boy lately. Would you mind telling me where Sakuno got the idea that I wanted to marry her?"

"Marry her…?" Wow, she took a suggestion of casual conversation to thinking she was getting married? Poor, poor girl…Maybe she was dropped as a child. Leorio nodded, "And how about calling me 'darling' in French?"

"…Typo?"

He raised an eyebrow. I grinned sheepishly.

"Another thing, did you do your homework?"

"…Hey, is that a new tie? It's quite lovely. Eheh…"

XXX

"ANIKI!"

Yuei glared at the man in front of her, ignoring the stares of the others behind her. She tapped her foot, "I told you not to overwork yourself! You're hurt!"

"It's just a scratch." The young man chuckled lightly, motioning towards the small cut on his arm. "There was this loud, adorable little squirrel that reminded me of you. It didn't like me poking its tail." The 'injury' was hardly large enough to be noticed and would heal on its own in a day or two.

"Who is this squirrel? I want names!" She turned to glare at the twelve other occupants of the room. With a blink, her eyes locked on a young boy in a red kimono. "Say, who's the kid?"

"We found our final member."

"Oh…" Yuei tilted her head, staring a stare-a-hole-in-the-side-of-your-head stare at the boy. He reminded her of someone, and the resemblance was so uncanny she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "You, what's your name?" Glancing at her Aniki, the boy waited for him to give a short nod before replying. "Kalluto."

Dismissing the uneasy feeling in her stomach, Yuei swept her arms to gesture to the entire room. "Well, Kalluto, welcome to the Genei Ryodan."

XXX

"I'm going out." Killua called out, tugging on his boots. Gon came running down the stairs, "Eh? Where?"

"The library." He dusted off his pants as he stood. The other boy blinked rapidly, "Huh? Oh no, did you catch the cold too?" With a sweat drop, Killua headed outside. Jogging to make sure Gon wouldn't follow him, he made his way to the local library. It was raining lightly, and the water pelted his rain-coat until it was drenched.

If only the Freecs were normal, he wouldn't have to go through the trouble. Unlike almost every other family on Whale Island, they didn't have a computer in the household. The nearest connection to the internet was the library.

A half-hour later, Killua sat down in front of the magical box called a computer. It loaded, and he took the moment to shrug off the wet coat and set it on the counter. Turning back to the computer, he typed a few words into the search engine that had automatically popped up.

With a smug smirk, he whispered. "Found you, blondie."

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

"Yuukio-kun." Leorio appeared at the doorway to my room, holding up a phone. "It's for you."

"Who is it?" Curiously, I took the phone as he shrugged and left. I held it up to my ear, "Hello?" An evil giggled floated in from the other line. "Aren't you getting tired of playing this game yet, Kuruta?" The pencil which had previously been flying across the page in front of me now froze.

"Hisoka?"

"Let's make a deal. A simple deal, it's not like we're getting married. I heard you want to get to Yorkshiin…" He trailed off purposely, and I could almost see the sick grin on his face. Glancing at the door, I lowered my voice, "State your conditions."

TBC…

Yuuki: I don't know why, but I have a sense that the previews I send as review replies are annoying people…Do they? If they do, tell me and I'll stop…Or maybe I'm just paranoid?

Killua: Y-

Yuuki: Shuuuush… -A- ...anyways…I realized that at the rate I'm taking things, this will probably be much longer than I had planned…And one of the stories a friend and me posted for another fandom got complaints because it was so long…So, about how long should I make this? Just to have a rough idea…I NEED help!

Leorio: *opens mouth, sees my glare, and turns away* …

Gon: ^-^

Yuuki: the last thing I wanted to point out is the book Kurapika's been reading. Yuei named the characters Alfred, Monica, and James…remember? Well, that story is an original story that another friend of mine is writing…It's really, really good, I love her writing style! But, sadly, she refuses to post it anywhere… *sigh*

Everyone: ARIGATOU!

P.S. – I am officially obsessed with Adam Lambert, I've been playing the same song for like two and a half chapters *dreamy like*


	19. Realize

_Now the story's played out like this, just like a paperback novel. Let's rewrite an ending that fits, instead of a Hollywood horror. _– Someday by Nickelback

Chapter 19: Realize

"Killua?"

The white-haired boy jumped to his feet, covering the computer monitor with his body, "O-oh, hi!" I swung my bag onto a nearby table, coming to stand beside him. "What are you doing here? Did you catch Gon's cold?" He sweat dropped, "Uh…no. Why does everyone assume I'm sick?"

"Well, this is a library…"

"I know that!" Killua grabbed the mouse and clicked out of the screen before I could see it. I raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He awkwardly logged out and stepped away from the computer, "Well, it's all yours."

"But I didn't-"

"Bye!" He snatched up his coat and made a beeline for the exit. Contemplating the importance of finishing a project that wasn't due for another week and following the boy, I flung my bag back onto my shoulder and took after him. It was still raining, but I easily spotted the retreating figure. "Killua, slow down!" He either didn't hear me or chose to ignore me, but Killua didn't slow down in the slightest.

Weaving my way through the crowd, I muttered quick apologies and trained my eyes on the boy's back. It probably would have been better to just finish up at the library, but he was acting strangely and the topic of medieval Europe didn't seem all that interesting today. As another bonus, I wouldn't have to think about Hisoka's offer.

Killua shot a glance over his shoulder and finally stopped walking until I caught up.

"Mind telling me what you're running away from?" I mused, pushing through the last of the crowd. Really, why were there so many people out, on a Monday, when it was raining?

"You hungry? Let's get something to eat. I'm starving." He avoided my question, as if he hadn't heard me, and continued walking. I hurried after him, "Are you going to ignore all of my questions?" I didn't receive an answer. Rolling my eyes, I shrugged, "Fine, whatever. Where are we eating?"

"There's this place no too far from here, it's really good." Killua licked his lips. "It's not exactly the safest place ever, so Gon doesn't approve. But the _food_…" We turned at a corner, the amount of people decreasing significantly. My bag continued bumping into my side as I tried to keep pace with his long strides. "Okay…Gon doesn't approve of good food?"

"Gon doesn't approve of the _place_ and the _customers_. He agrees that the food's good, though." He clarified with a smirk, noticing my constant glancing around. "Scared?" I held my head up high as a reflex, "No."

Chuckling, he leaned his elbow on my shoulder, "Don't worry, Princess, I won't let the wicked witch get to you." Sarcastically, I rolled me eyes, "How brave of you, oh handsome prince." A smug grin on his face, Killua led us around another corner.

There were even less people here, save for a few men and woman sitting on the ground or angry-looking teenagers. Most of the buildings looked like they hadn't seen living occupants in a long time, and some were crumbling at the corners.

"Is it much further?" I asked uneasily, spotting one of the angry teens eyeing us. Killua tapped my forehead, "Don't look too long. It's not far, maybe a few more minutes. I said don't look!" I snapped my head forward, away from the people. It was hard not to stare, seeing as there was hardly anything else to look at. And now it was only harder since I had been _told _not to look.

"Anyways…" He dropped his arm from my shoulder, turning another corner, "Did Ojii-san say something about us?" I grimaced, "Sort of…"

"'Sort of'?"

"He and Miyoshi were ignoring me. I got him to talk and I explained that it was just a joke."

"Oh…" Killua turned at yet another corner. "I was hoping we could keep tricking them…" Curious about his disappointed tone, I raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"We're here." He held the door open as we stepped inside, nodding to the man sitting outside. The man nodded back and continued glaring at the rare passerby. The outside of the building had been much as the others, but the inside was quite surprising.

There were crowds of people, gathered around the many tables and booths. Only a few looked up as we came in, and then they quickly resumed their earlier activities. I followed Killua to the counter, where he found us some seats. Awkwardly sitting on the stool, I tried to keep from staring at anyone too long. They didn't exactly look like the most forgiving people in the world. Now I was starting to see why Gon didn't approve of Killua coming here.

I casually looked over my shoulder, finding someone staring at us. It was a girl with black hair and large red glasses. She had been there when I'd apologized to Leorio. Shizuku, was it? I turned back to Killua, finding he was watching me, too. Getting the feeling he had just asked me something, I grinned sheepishly, "Did you say something?"

"What do you want to eat?" He repeated, holding up a menu.

"But I don't have any money." I shrugged, "I'm not all that hungry anyway." Rolling his eyes, he tapped my head with the menu, "I invited you here, didn't I? And you thought I'd make you pay? It's my treat." I frowned, "But I don't like people paying for me. I don't have a very good history with it…" Seeing as when Leorio took me to the carnival, we got trapped in a phone booth. And when Yuei offered to pay for ramen, we got stuck washing dishes.

"It'll be fine. Besides," He smirked, "We're not leaving until you've tried the oh-so-delicious food."

"But-"

"C'mon, princess, I won't let anything bad lay a finger on you. What's the worst that could happen?"

In the end, we ordered a few dishes at random. And Killua had been right. The food was good enough to wipe my thoughts away. I even forgot about that project I had set out to finish. Maybe I forgot about Yorkshiin, too.

XXX

"What if something happened to him?"

"Leorio…"

"What if…what if he's been kidnapped?"

"Leorio, please-"

"No, you're right. They wouldn't be able to do that…they'd probably end up shooting him! What if he's DEAD?"

"I doubt-"

"Or worse, what if he's runaway with that little runt-"

"LEORIO!"

"What?" Leorio blinked, surprised at her outburst. He was sure he had never heard Sakuno raise her voice. The woman colored slightly, looking away, "I-I…About this morning…"

Rain continued pelting the roof, coming down harder than that morning. It had already been hours since Kurapika had left for the library, and now the teacher had begun to worry about him. He was hardly in the mood to think about his friend's confession. Thinking back on her actions, maybe he had been the only one not to notice. That would explain the blond's strange behavior towards her, yet at the same time more questions would begin to accumulate in his mind.

"What about it?" He asked anyways. Sakuno raised her green eyes to his, an unnamed emotion gleaming brightly in those familiar orbs. "Is it…is it because of Pietro?" She caught the flash in his dark-blue eyes.

"It is…" With a sigh, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply in exasperation. "Pietro Miyoshi has been dead for _seven years_." Leorio whipped his head away from her, "Stop."

"No…no, no more." Shaking her head roughly, Sakuno laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It was only months after our wedding-"

"_Stop_."

"It was only months after graduating! We were so _young_!" A sob racked her body, "You couldn't have done anything! Let it go, Leorio! It's over! He's _gone_ and blaming yourself won't bring him back-"

Abruptly, Leorio stood and left, disappearing into his room. This left Sakuno to weep by herself, sobbing uncontrollably into a pillow.

XXX

"Ha! I win again!"

Yuei greedily pushed the pile of cards towards the brown-haired young man. "You're terrible at these kinds of things, Shal." Shalnark, gawking at his latest defeat, mumbled incoherently about karma and, oddly enough, bananas.

Most of the others had gone off to do their own thing. They still had a few days before their next mission was to initiate. Yuei didn't know the details of it, but they were to scope out someone. She didn't really care of the Spiders' affairs, as long as her Aniki wasn't to put himself in any unnecessary danger. Besides, it was probably some other weak avenger, it wasn't anything new to her. If they deemed him or her unworthy of being a threat, they'd probably continue on as if nothing had happened and head off to Yorkshiin for the September and December auctions.

She was looking forward to them. She would get to skip school to go to the best parties, and spend more time with Aniki, too. The only disappointing thing was the matter of wearing high-heels all night long.

Getting up, the girl left Shalnark to his musings and ran for the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she sighed in disappointment.

_Note to self: If Ubo takes the last cupcake again, I'm becoming an avenger myself_

Finding some crackers nearby, she nibbled on one as she made her way to Aniki's room. Opening the door without bothering to knock, she stumbled upon him conversing with Pakunoda. Yuei slinked along the wall, waiting for them to finish. She had learned long ago not to interrupt them when it was about Genei Ryodan business.

The first, last, and only time she had, the member had lashed out at her, and she had stared wide-eyed as her Aniki had slain that very same member in the next instant. That was years ago, and that spot had remained empty until they had stumbled across Shizuku. Still, she didn't like seeing Aniki like that.

With a nod, Paku left quietly, giving her a quick smile. Yuei stepped away from the wall and dragged a chair over. "Ne, Aniki…" He ruffled up her hair, "Yes?"

"After spending the weekend up in the mountains…" She chewed thoughtfully on the cracker, "I wonder if there's something wrong with Pika-chan?" He brought his hand to his mouth, his usual 'thinking' gesture. "From the many stories you've told me, I'd have to guess this 'Pika-chan' of yours…"

"Yes?" Yuei leaned forward anxiously. Her 'brother' was usually very accurate in his analysis. She couldn't remember him ever being wrong in something she'd asked of him. He nodded, as if assuring himself of his accuracy, "I'd say he's emotionally unstable due to some traumatizing event in his life."

"Emotionally…unstable…" She repeated, chewing on the inside of her cheek. It would explain a few things, such as his overreactions. Possibly even the ramen-cravings. "I see…Mou, Aniki…"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me a story." She requested, leaning her head on his lap, "One about Ryuuseigai."

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

"You don't have to do this."

"I want to."

"But it's raining. You'll get soaked."

"I'm getting wet whether I walk with you or go directly home." Killua stubbornly continued walking down the street. We were supposed to have been separated a few blocks ago, but once he had made up his mind he wouldn't budge from his decision. I rolled my eyes, "Gon has influenced us all."

Rain fell unwaveringly from the heavens, drenching any unlucky being stuck outside. It was the rainy season on Whale Island, and when it wasn't raining, it would usually be extremely humid. Though in a month or two, things would cool down and maybe we'd see some snow.

After a while of comfortable silence, Killua began humming a tune under his breath. Seeing as it was the same verse, over and over, I eventually had it replaying in my head, even after he stopped. An amused smile on my face, I turned onto the driveway and walked up the porch steps. Digging through my pockets for Leorio's key (he had given it to me before I left), I turned towards my companion. "Wanna come in? You could at least call to let them know you're okay."

He shrugged, "Sure, why not?" In my search for the key, I noticed there weren't any lights on. But the car was there, so Leorio and Sakuno had to be home. I didn't think they'd be all that keen on taking a walk in the rain, unlike us.

Opening the door, I waited for Killua to follow before shutting it behind us. "It's quiet." I observed, kicking off my shoes. He sat down to take off his boots as I hung up my coat. "Yeah, it is."

Instead of heading straight to the kitchen phone, I took a detour into the living room. I found Sakuno, asleep on the couch. Tears sat on her cheeks, and she wore a pained expression. Killua poked his head in, "Okay, change of plans. I'm gonna just go, if that's okay with you." Slightly confused to his sudden decision, I followed him back to the entrance way.

He stepped out onto the porch and pulled the hood of his coat up.

"Thanks for today." I smiled, "It was fun. We should do this again sometime." He nodded slowly, "Yeah…bye." Quickly retreating back to the sidewalk, Killua cast one last glance back before disappearing into the rainy darkness. Was it just me, or was he blushing? Shrugging it off, I blamed it on the bad lighting and closed the door.

Leaving my bag in my room, I silently padded down the hall to Leorio's room. Once there, I pressed my ear to the door. Nothing.

Slowly, slowly, I turned the knob and slinked into the room. Everything was dark, even the curtains were drawn against the window. I blinked, waiting for my eyes to readjust to the change of lighting. Outside, it had at least been lit up by the occasional streetlamp or the houses nearby.

I jumped in surprise when the door closed, seemingly on its own. Still unable to see, I could dimly make out the outline of someone in front of me. "Sensei…?" I squinted, backing up into the door as he took steps closer. He didn't say anything, but now I was sure it was Leorio.

My back hit the hard door, but still he advanced until you could hardly have fit a thin sheet of paper between us. Even that might have been too thick to fit. He bent down so that his lips brushed my ear when he breathed. He smelled like alcohol.

"You're drunk." I accused, disgusted. God, I _hate _drunks. And now I could see the outlines of bottles on the floor. Sakuno had brought some with her as an early Christmas present, seeing as she would probably have to leave before winter. Leorio had said he'd save them for New Years, but guessing by their seemingly emptiness, he had decided he couldn't wait until then.

These little facts began churning in my head, piecing themselves together to find the big picture. All the lights were off, Sakuno had been crying, and Leorio's drunk. What does that spell?

Atlwoshbcald.

What the duck?

_Kurapika, you dork_. I squinted into the darkness, trying to find the _real _reason for everything that had recently happened. I couldn't find anything.

"It's you this time, right?" Leorio whispered, pressing his mouth to my ear. "It's really you?" Blindly searching for the door knob with one hand, I murmured a shaky, "Huh?" Where _is _that door knob? Don't tell me he ate it or something. That _can't _be good for your health.

"You're always runnin' off…" He slurred, "Always…" I mentally kicked myself, realizing I had been looking for the knob on the wrong side of the door. But that arm was trapped in Leorio's grasp, and I couldn't reach it with my other hand. Pushing forward, closer to the teacher, I tried sliding my arm behind me, finally touching the knob with the tip of my finger. With a low, moaning sound, Leorio ground his hips forward. Heat flushed my face as I squeaked, knees buckling and sending us crashing to the floor.

The door knob now out of my reach, I tried to crawl away in the second of disorientation. I managed to get about two paces when he grabbed my foot. I kicked blindly as he pulled me back, my shirt bunching up while I slid across the floor.

"And I think it's you, but it never is. It's him and then it's you, but you always leave…" Leorio pulled me up, so we were kneeling in front of each other. Wrapping his arms around my shoulders, he buried his face in my hair. "I can't take not knowin'." He continued. "I don't like seein' you with that kid, but I dunno if it's you so am I tellin' this to the wrong person?" Holding me by the shoulders at arm-length, Leorio's face finally came into focus.

"Who are you, then? Pietro?"

I shook my head, pushing his hands away, "I'm not Pietro, Sensei. I never have been and never will be so if you're looking for this Pietro look somewhere else." Great, I couldn't just say 'no, I'm not', I had to make two whole sentences. _Two_. And digesting his little speech, I realized something that had been bothering me for a long while.

Leorio hadn't been _acting_ like nothing happened. He really didn't know, so why should he act any different? He must have thought he had been kissing this Pietro of his, not me.

"Then it really is you." He breathed, awe spreading across his face. I frowned, confused, "No, I just said it wasn't."

"Kurapika." Leorio pulled me back into an embrace, "It's not him…it's you. It is, right, Kurapika?" I stiffened, awkwardly pressed against his chest, "Huh?"

"I had a dream while I was sick." He ran his hand up and down my back, sending shivers down my spine. "You were about to leave, so I held you back. Then you turned around and it wasn't you. He tripped, and then it was you again." I sighed, eyelids drooping with sudden drowsiness. It had been a long day, and now that I knew he wasn't all that intent on doing anything, it was getting hard to keep my eyes open. Add in the fact that it felt a lot like my father rubbing my back and not my teacher, and I was a goner.

"We did things, and it kept switching. You, him, you him. Then I told him it was wrong, he's married and she was my friend. He got up to leave, then turned around. It was you again, and you were angry…"

I stifled a yawn, finding his hand and pulling away from him. Getting to my feet, I pulled him up, too, and led him to his bed. "It's late, you should sleep. You're going to have one heck of a hangover in the morning." He shuffled along behind me, sitting down and staring bemusedly at me. Sighing, I knelt down and pulled off his shoes, "Getting drunk and saying strange things, you sure are a hassle." Laying his shoes neatly on the ground, I crossed my arms, waiting as he stared at the pillow. He continued staring at it as if it were some complicated piece of machinery he didn't know how to use.

Rolling my eyes, I pushed him back and pulled the blanket over him. "Who's the adult here, exactly?"

"Don't leave again." Leorio whispered, holding tightly onto my hand.

"I'm tired." I complained, hoping to get the slightest ounce of reason through to his intoxicated brain. "I want to sleep, okay? Let go and goodnight." Instead, Leorio roughly pulled me onto the bed and snuggled close to me. I blushed as he nuzzled my stomach with his head, tangling my legs with the bed sheets. Seeing no other alternative that would satisfy the man, I sighed and timidly tried to get comfortable. Within a few moments, I was asleep. Before slipping into oblivion, the song Killua had hummed resurfaced in my mind.

_Images so surreal. A hate you cannot feel. It'll all be revealed as the pages are unfolding._

TBC…

Yuuki: I had so…much…writer's block… During lazily-done-proofreading, I can see the chunkiness of where I left off and started again days later…Such as in every other sentence of Leorio's drunk rampage

Killua: *reading the original one-shot* …and exactly _how_ does this connect?

Yuuki: …so maybe I got a _little_ off track the last few chapters…and maybe I thought up a new plot/ending *runs away*

Gon: ^0^ you could always just post the original by itself~

Leorio: don't give her ideas, she'll end up killing people…

Yuuki: *waves arms* I had a dream last night that Aniki was killed and Yuei was screaming at Kurapika for being a murderer~

Kurapika: …you need to see a physiatrist

Yuuki: I dun wanna see a shrink… OAO *fetal position* they send you to the place where the nice men in white coats live…and threaten you with candy…

Killua, Gon, Kurapika, Leorio: You would know

Everyone: ARIGATOU!


	20. Money

_You don't remember my name. I don't really care. Can we play the game your way? Can we really lose control? Just once in my life…wouldn't it be nice, to lose control just once? _– Lose Control by Evanescence

Chapter 20: Money

Infinitely, endlessly, eternally, everlastingly, evermore, perpetually, ceaselessly.

Forever.

Payback, retribution, reprisal, vengeance.

Revenge.

Deliverance, rescue, recovery, escape.

Salvation.

Influence, control, maneuver, direct, control, operate, use.

Manipulation.

I will forever seek revenge in order to obtain salvation. I will manipulate others if necessary in order to uphold justice. This is my forgotten purpose.

Light poured in through the window, set on awaking me to the point of allying itself with the alarm clock. The blaring sound came from somewhere just out of reach of my hand, and right beside my ear. I didn't want to get up, to face another day. The thought of dealing with other people just wasn't very appealing at the moment. Not with the warm, soft being snuggled up beside to me.

Large arms were protectively wrapped around me, warm and comforting. My legs were intertwined with his, sending pleasurable shivers down my spine. I sighed in contentment, pleased with the way my head could fit perfectly into the crook of his neck. His soft breath blew across my hair, the tips tickling my cheek and making a smile form on my lips. His masculine scent filled my nose, strangely different than mine or the others'.

I didn't have the capability to form coherent thoughts, I didn't bother to give much into the attempt of thinking. The only traces were along the lines of _stupid sun…stupid alarm…this feels nice._

With a groan, he reached over to hit the alarm, silencing the evil machine, before resuming his earlier position. When he was back, I nuzzled my head into his chest, attempting to fall back asleep. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and I dimly remembered I had been wearing a sweater the night before, which was now gone. Through my thin shirt and jeans I could feel his body heat warming as he stirred.

"Yuu…kio?" Leorio propped himself up on an elbow, and I leaned closer, scrunching my eyes shut stubbornly. Not yet…a little longer… I should have said it out loud, because he most definitely could not read my mind. But why bother? If he couldn't hear what I was thinking, that was his problem, not mine.

"Hey…get up…" He shook my shoulder gently, slowly sitting up and untangling his legs. Annoyed, I opened my eyes and barked a drowsy, "Five more minutes…" It was the most I could think of to say out loud. I still didn't want to leave the safety of these warm arms…Arms which belonged to the teacher named Hanashi Leorio.

Making a strange noise I was sure I had never made before, I tried to jump to my feet. I failed and ended up sprawled on top of the still very-much shirtless Leorio. _This seems to be happening a lot lately._

"L-Leorio!" I squeaked, all honorifics and formalities forgotten as I fought to control the rapidly spreading blush on my cheeks. He held a hand to his head, groaning softly, "Shhh…I have a headache…"

I rolled to the side, sitting patiently as he sat up. Leorio rubbed his forehead, "What…happened?" Horror leaked into his expression as he examined the state of the room. "I…did this?"

"You were drunk." I explained. "I don't know why. I got home and you were like that. When I came inside, you were…" Chewing on my lip, I considered the consequences of revealing what he had said. It sounded like a confession of something he wouldn't normally say. At least, that was how it seemed to me.

"I what?" Headache apparently forgotten, he grabbed my shoulders, "I didn't do anything to you, did I?" _Now why would he assume that?_

"You just babbled about a Pietro, and then told me not to leave. Oh!" I tilted my head, recalling last night. "And when you pinned me to the door-"

"I WHAT?"

"-you put your mouth on-"

"I put my WHAT on WHAT?"

"-my ear."

I sweat dropped, seeing him clutch his head in agony. "A word to the wise; don't yell when you have a hangover." I murmured. Leorio, after many moments of quiet swearing, pitched forward and rested his head on my lap. My hand instinctively came up to snatch up a fistful of his hair and toss him across the room, but I managed to keep from the latter. Instead, I combed my fingers through his hair, rubbing his rather greasy scalp like someone did to me in the past…

"I feel like crap. I must look like it, too." He sighed, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning against my stomach. My legs crossed, I watched the twitching of his eyelids, gazed upon the rise and fall of his chest and his lips part with every breath. I smiled, knowing he wouldn't see, "You look the same to me."

"That's not funny."

"I'm serious." I let the smile drop, a deadpan expression replacing it as his eyes slowly opened.

"And what is _that _supposed to mean?"

My lip twitched in a short smirk. That was all he needed to spring up and begin a playful wrestling match.

Leorio pinned my arms above my head with one hand, a triumphant grin plastered across his face, "Gotcha." Twisting my wrist, I rolled over and managed to escape for a second before he flipped me over, pressing against my back. "And I _still _gotcha."

Trying to keep from smiling goofily, I ended up with a ridiculous pout on my face instead. "You cheated!"

"How could I possibly have cheated?" He laughed, rolling me over so that I was facing him. Towering above me, he chuckled, "Now, what do I get as my prize?"

There was a knock on the door before Sakuno timidly poked her head inside. "The school just called. You two are late." I blinked slowly, taking in her expression. Mixed emotions played over her face and gleamed in her green eyes. Sadness, betrayal, disappointment, longing. Jealousy? Along with a pinch of worry.

"Ok." Leorio said, as if he were talking to a stranger and not a close friend. He didn't even spare her a glance, just stared blankly down at me. I looked back and forth between his and her expressions, wondering exactly what was going on. With a sigh, Sakuno closed the door and retreated down the hall.

"We should get going." He muttered, getting to his feet. I caught his hand, "Wait." The teacher turned to regard me with a puzzled expression. "Yeah? What is it?" _Yeah, Kurapika, what is it? _I racked my brain for something logical to say, realizing I had had no reason to hold him back. "Uh…" Think before you speak, think before you speak… "Where'd your shirt go?"

Or, I could just speak and then think about how stupid I am. That works, too…

"My…shirt?" He echoed, raising an eyebrow. "In…the closet?" I let go of his hand, laughing nervously, "O-of course…um…never mind." I hopped off the bed and retreated from the room as quickly as my legs would carry me. Out in the hallway, I found Sakuno dragging her suitcase out of the extra room.

"Where are you going?" I asked curiously, taking the bag to help her. Sakuno sighed, a tired smile on her face, "I'm going home, Yuukio-kun." I had two very different reactions to this new piece of delicious information. On the inside, I was imagining a mini-me dancing terribly to an imaginary tune, shouting 'YES!'. On the outside, however, "Why? I thought you would end up staying through winter." _You certainly brought enough bags to fit every single one of your belongings…_

"I thought that, too. I thought that, too…" She sighed again, continuing down the hall. A few of her bags in hand, I followed her into the living room. "Did…you and Sensei have an argument?" She remained silent. After a few moments, though, she set down her bags and sat on the couch, patting the seat beside her. "I take it Leorio never told you about me, right? Before I got here…"

"The first time he mentioned you, was when he got the message that you were coming." I murmured, hesitantly taking a seat next to her. Well, I'm already late for school. What's another hour, right?

Sakuno smoothed out her long skirt, fingering the green fabric. "I've known him since we were very young. I used to watch him play with the other boys from my window. I lived across the street, and I was new to the neighborhood so I didn't have any friends." As she talked, I tried to smooth out the jungle that was my hair, realizing I probably smelled terrible from the rain…Leorio hadn't even given me the chance to change clothes, last night.

"The boy next door, that was Pietro, and Leorio…I hardly ever saw them apart. A few months later, school started and we were in the same class. It was second grade, we were all so young." She glanced at me, "Well, you're probably not interested in all the tiny details. So, in short, we became good friends. In high school, that friendship changed. Our goals were different, so there were different classes. We still saw each other every day after school, but it was…different. Then Pietro and I began to see each other. Leorio supported us, but…"

Here, my interest was sparked. Abandoning the task of taming my hair, I turned to face her, "But?" Sakuno lowered her gaze, "He seemed…jealous. Maybe that's not the right word, but he began acting differently around us. Maybe he felt like a third wheel. Until recently, I always thought it was because he liked me. But now I'm not so sure." She sighed, not the first nor last time today. "I think it was Pietro he liked, not me."

_Maybe somebody's in love with the wrong person._

That's what he had said on our hike, and it hadn't made much sense at the time. Now, maybe it was beginning to come into light. Perhaps he had been referring to himself, Sakuno, and Pietro. It still didn't make a complete picture, but we were getting somewhere.

"We graduated, and Leorio started acting normally again. I think he accepted what happened, and was trying to move on. Then Pietro asked me to marry him." Sakuno smiled. A small, slightly sad, smile. "Of course I said yes, it was selfish of me. I should have told him to wait. But we were so young and what girl wouldn't dream of having the most perfect husband? Our wedding was wonderful. Leorio was the best man. He had fun, it seemed, so I stopped worrying about him."

"I hear a 'but' coming along." I murmured, cutting through the silence. She nodded, "It happened while we were on our honeymoon. We were to spend two weeks in Niipon. It was a few days before we were coming back home, that he started getting sick. Well, we rushed home and to the hospital. It was a completely curable illness. But without a surgery, he would die slowly and painfully." She shuddered, hugging her sides tightly. "We were young. In a month, Pietro would have been 19. Leorio and I, too, a couple months later. My mother had died a few years earlier, she had passed peacefully in her sleep with old age. My father was still alive and healthy, though he was also very old by then."

Tears slipped down her cheeks, "I was disowned. He hated me for marrying young, and had kicked me out of the house with a small bag of things and twenty dollars. He refused to lend me money for the surgery, and Pietro's parents didn't have enough. Even if they combined it with the money Leorio's parents were willing to give. We were a few thousand short." She grabbed a pillow and, without warning, roughly threw it across the room, knocking over a vase.

"He died!" Sakuno cried, "All for a few stupid thousand jenny! He was in pain for weeks, _months_, and all the while we were trying to raise money for his surgery and he was suffering. Leorio said he'd study to become a doctor, so _he _could give the surgery for free…but he'd only just gotten back the acceptance paper into school when it was over. It was all over…" She sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "In the end, he couldn't even attend school because we had hardly even had enough money for the entry exam…Money, money, money, money, money! That's all the world cares about. People kill for it, people die for it, people put aside their humanity and let people die just because they couldn't pay the bill."

I wasn't really sure what to do, seeing her weep like this. So I settled with a handing her the tissue box from the table nearby. She took it gratefully, sniffling, "How much does a human life cost, Yuukio-kun? Can you put a price on someone's life? It could very well have been you, or me, or even the doctor who refused to treat my Pietro seven years ago. Was he really only worth a few thousand sheets of paper and silver coins?" Shaking her head, Sakuno dabbed her face with a tissue. "You probably don't understand, being a young boy like you, what death can do to the people it leaves behind." She blew her nose softly, shoulders still trembling from the sobs that wanted to escape.

"You're lucky." I reached up and touched the earring that dangled from my ear. "You lost a lover to nature." She gasped, "L…lucky? How can you _say that_?"

"I lost a family to a criminal and freedom to an auction." Getting to my feet, I ignored her varying expressions. "Yours found peace, mine found revenge." I cast a glance over my shoulder as I headed towards my room, "I'd say it was pleasant meeting you, Miyoshi, but I'd also like to keep from lying out of respect for my teacher's friend. Another thing…I was probably the wrong person to tell that to."

TBC…

Yuuki: *sobbing* P-Pietro!

Killua: crybaby

Gon: *sniff* ...

Killua: not you too *sweat drop*

Leorio: … *glomps Kura*

Kurapika: WTD? O_o

Yuuki: ...heh...what the duck... U btw…Niipon is a suggested place, again…like…a play on Japan…Nihon…meh

Everyone: Arigtou!


	21. Bento

_I hide behind a smile, as this perfect plan unfolds. But, oh, God, I feel I've been lied to. I've lost all faith in the things I have achieved _– Away From Me by Evanescence

Chapter 21: Bento

"Where were you?"

_Tic. Toc. Tic. Toc._

"Hello? Earth to Pika-chan!"

_Tic. Toc. Tic. Toc._

"Kurapika?"

_Tic. Toc. Tic. Toc._

"Oi, blond thing!"

"What?" I snapped, shooting a glare into Killua's skull. He leaned in close, eyes narrowing, "Why were you and Ojii-san so _late_?" Yuei, a few steps away, nodded her head, "Pika-chan, you got here in the middle of lunch. Fourth period!" After a moment of hesitation, she added, "And you seem upset…and anxious."

Leaning on two legs of the chair, I chewed on the end of a pencil. "I'm not. I'm just thinking." Gon watched quietly from a seat nearby, refusing to involve himself in a possible argument. Seeing him whip his head back and forth, he reminded me of a puppy.

"About what?" Killua came up behind me, pushing the chair back to the ground. "Something happen?" I turned to face him, "No." With a quick motion of the hand, he snatched the pencil away from my mouth. "_What happened?_" Thoroughly irritated, I stood and, swinging my bag onto my shoulder, left the Cafeteria. Whatever I was hoping to achieve from this, I certainly didn't get it. Killua followed after me and easily caught up.

"Did Ojii-san do something to you?"

"He did _not_-…" _At least…I don't _think _so…_ I hadn't paid it much mind, but it _was_ strange how his shirt, along with my sweater, had disappeared. Clothing couldn't just get up and leave, someone had had to remove it. I would be able to tell, if something had happened, right?

I glanced into a classroom as we passed by, checking the time. Alright, now all that's left to do is get rid of Killua…

I stopped walking in front of the math room, turning an indifferent gaze on him. "Whether or not something happened, it does not concern you." Killua crossed his arms, quirking an eyebrow, "You really are selfish, aren't you?" He frowned, "Can't you go one day without being secretive?"

"There is such thing as privacy." Without giving him a chance to drag out the worthless conversation any further, I slipped into the classroom and easily shut the door behind me. Leorio looked up from his desk with a brightening expression. "Hey." I didn't glance back to check if Killua would follow me, I was sure he would go back to Yuei and Gon.

Holding up my bag, I pulled a chair over to him, "I thought you'd like a break." He eyed the bag warily, and upon seeing this I rolled my eyes, "It's store bought. I didn't make it." I pulled out two bento boxes and handed one to him. Leorio took it gratefully, "Thanks."

We ate in comfortable silence, taking our own sweet time to pick at the small lunches. After a few minutes, Leorio set down his box, leaning forward, "Where'd you get the money?" I swallowed, suddenly interested in a crack in one of my chopsticks. "I sort of…found it."

"What do you mean, you 'sort of found it'?" He narrowed his eyes. I slowly peeked up, staring at him through my bangs. "In the kitchen. Miyoshi left a note saying it was her rent or something."

"That's extremely out of character for you." With a sigh, Leorio resumed eating his lunch. My hair creating a fence of sorts between us, I allowed myself a small smile.

He had believed what I had said without a second thought. I hadn't been lying, of course, but to know Leorio actually trusted me at all sent a giddy feeling to my head. My smile quickly disappeared, realizing I would soon be abusing that trust.

Hisoka's offer still hung in the air, a constant buzz at the back of my mind. It was probably best that I leave it alone and not bother with the devious jester, though the conditions were certainly easy to meet and very tempting. I had the nagging feeling that I was letting opportunities pass by and letting my priorities get out of hand. Was spending so much time with Leorio really helping me in the long run? And for that matter, staying on Whale Island?

"What's on your mind?" Leorio asked around a mouthful of rice. I grimaced, "Eat with your mouth closed." Just to be annoying, he began chewing loudly, opening his mouth as wide as the human jaw was capable of. "Oh, does it bother you?"

_If I'm to continue living with this man_, I thought amusedly, _we have got to set down some manners. _

"Actually, it does." I set the bento box down and reached out, pushing his chin up to meet the rest of his face. "Aside from that, not many of those women you flaunt over will find it attractive that you eat like a cow."

He chuckled, swallowing quickly. "So suddenly you're an expert on women?"

"No." I smirked. "But I _obviously_ know more than you, at least." With a mock bow, Leorio slid the sunglasses off his nose. "Enlighten me then, oh wise womanizer."

Scrambling for a comeback, I was saved from having to answer by a knock on the door.

A woman with blonde hair and a tight-fitting suit quietly entered, eyebrow twitching once upon seeing me. She slowly scanned us from head to toe, soaking in every little detail like a sponge. Eventually, the woman came to stand in front of Leorio's desk with a disapproving frown.

"You missed the faculty meeting. It just ended." She stared him down.

Aside from a large nose, the woman was unblemished and seemed all too eager to reveal to the world that she was indeed female. With my short height and the fact that I was sitting down, I tried to look anywhere but in front of me and silently prayed she would chose to move away from the spot she had chosen to stand.

"Ah, crap." Leorio cursed under his breath. "I thought that was next week." He glanced past her, noticing my sudden interest in the paperclip on the floor. The woman followed his gaze and narrowed her eyes, "Yuukio Kurapika, Senior. Correct?" I reluctantly met her stare, smiling politely, "Yes, ma'am."

When she continued to simply stare, I began to wonder if I had food on my face. I knotted my hands together, getting a strange vibe. She seemed familiar, and I couldn't place where I'd seen her. It was probably just in the halls…but that didn't sound right. Then she suddenly looked back at Leorio, "Lunch detention?"

"Huh? Uh, no." He answered quickly, caught off guard. "I mean…What was the question?" She looked heavenward. "Just don't miss the next meeting." Just as quietly as she had come in, the woman left us to wallow in stupefied silence.

"That was strange." I concluded, finishing off the last few bites of lunch. Leorio did the same, taking the boxes and storing them in a drawer. He nodded, "Well, it's not the first time. I seem to have a thing for being late or forgetting important things. Which reminds me…"

"What?" I wasn't sure if the sudden light in his eyes was a good thing or not.

"I have a surprise for you." He sang delightfully. "After school, we take Sakuno to the docks and then…" He trailed off with a smirk, standing. I pouted, curious now. "What? Then what?"

"You'll just have to wait and see." Leorio practically purred, quickly writing a practice problem on the board. Brushing off some stray crumbs, I pulled the chair back to its former place and watched as the teacher set down the marker. He sauntered happily towards the door and waited as I picked up my bag.

"I'll see you later, then." He held the door open for me. I nodded, humming a soft reply and heading out to my next class. I had barely taken a step out the door when Leorio held me back with a hand on my shoulder. He leaned down and easily pressed his lips to my cheek.

And right in front of the students returning from the cafeteria.

Leorio grinned at my flustered expression. "Have a good day, Kurapika-kun."

I stood there, frozen, even after he disappeared back into the room and other students began drifting in after him. Getting shoved into a wall, I shook my head roughly and stumbled down the hall. _To class, to class, to class_…

Reaching the end of the hall, I paused to look out the floor-to-ceiling window behind the stairs. I held a hand to my face, feeling the warmth that could have been used to roast our dinner. Feeling a strange guilty satisfaction, I made a mental note to rant purposelessly about calling me by given name.

An idiotic grin plastered to my face, I ran up the stairs to Chemistry.

~XxX~

My moment of unexplained joy was ultimately shattered by the death glared I received upon setting foot in the Chemistry room.

Gon smiled shyly, "Hey, Kurapika…" I sat down beside him, trying my best to ignore the look on Killua's face. "Yes?" After a moments' hesitation, the boy continued, "I was curious…as to why…there's a crowd of girls at the door following you."

I blinked, dread creeping onto my face as I turned to look at the door. There was a whole army of girls, with the occasional boy, staring shamelessly into the room with the strangest expression on their faces. One of them squealed and held up a camera, turning it so that the screen faced us. Squinting my eyes, I could clearly make out the scene of just a few minutes ago. By their following action, I was sure blushing crimson was _not _the right thing to do.

There is nothing, _nothing_, scarier than an army of rabid fangirls who has just been fed a free moment of fanservice. Especially when they charge full force at you screaming, "KYAAA!"

TBC…

Yuuki: Last scene…totally random… *sheepish* I feel bad about not updating for a week…then handing you a short(er) chapter…

Gon: Ne…Yuei-chan and I were barely in this chapter ^-^

Yuuki: *pats head* sorry, buddy….At least you don't get upset like Mr. Grumpy-Pants over there

Killua: -_-

Leorio: That…you left us stranded for a WEEK and then give us a FILLER CHAPTER! &*#(*!$%^!

Kurapika: *reading _Beautiful Lie_* Language

Yuuki: *glomps book* I seriously wish she would post this…I am totally gonna steal it, switch characters with HXH and go plagiarism to the extreme like word-for-word if you don't…That's right! *points to friend* I'm talking to YOU, missy! Monica and Alfred and JAMES NEED YOU! Sebastian totally needs to stop having James-raping thoughts though…he's turning into Hisoka I tell you! HISOKA!

Everyone: ARIGATOU!

P.S. – Ignore my rant there~ Nobody's gonna understand XD Only like…three people have ever read this awesome piece of original fiction…nya~ being me and the authoress and Niki~


	22. Paperwork

_From the shallows of love to the depths of your scars, you know you want to change. _– Fearless by Falling up (Ft. 250 and Dark Stars)

Chapter 22: Paperwork

Chatter broke out among the students as soon as we entered the Creative Arts classroom for our last class. Whispers behind hands and outright stares were shot at us, daring anybody to actually approach. Yuei calmly sought out some seats, glaring at anybody who chose to stare too long. I tailed after her, trying to appear indifferent and oblivious.

She found two in the front, sitting and spinning around to face me as I sat down behind her. Now she turned an icy glare on me, "I don't get it. Why are you putting up with this? Tell them to get lost."

No beating around the bush. Straight forward and to the point. Friends, right?

I sighed, "It's not that simple. Telling them to leave me alone will make them all the more persistent." Aside from that, I simply cannot find it in myself to be rude to people I don't know, though this may seem a daily activity for yourself.

"You've said it before, say it again. Say that there's nothing going on between you and Sensei." Yuei frowned. "Not that there's anything wrong with that. If you were, then so what? But you're not so they shouldn't just assume things." She paused, frown deepening. "They _are _wrong….right?"

"Leorio-san and I aren't dating, if that's what you're asking." I stole a glance at the crowd near the door. Don't those girls – is that a boy I see? – have class? With a soft snort, Yuei reached for her neck and pulled a small chain necklace from under her shirt. She placed it on my desk, "This is something Aniki brought back for me from one of his…trips." Stroking the small purple stone and golden chain, the girl pushed it towards me. "It's like one of those Mood Rings, except this has nothing to do with body heat. Put it on and I'll show you."

Curious yet wary, I carefully picked up the necklace and laced it around my neck. I should have known by now that curiosity killed the cat. Yuei waited patiently for the clasp to click shut before murmuring, "Do you love me?" Surprised, I stared blankly at the changing color of the stone. It had changed from a soft violet color to blue. She smiled slightly, "Love as in _trust_ and _friendship_. You're fond and loyal and you don't want to hurt me."

"I…suppose so." I held it up to eye level. "So, what is the point of this?"

"The point _is_ I want you to try this out." She leaned her arms onto the desk. "That is a treasure from a faraway country, it's known only in myths and is one of two that have managed to survive the centuries." With a deep breath, Yuei took on a distant expression. "The old story about it is long and I don't remember all the little details. Get someone to put it on and then ask them if they love you. Depending on what color it changes to, you'll get a description on how they feel towards you."

I grimaced. "So you want me to try it on Hanashi-sensei." The lack of a question mark was no typo. She nodded, "Just call me and tell me what color it is. I'm going to be at Gon's afterschool, Mito-san asked him to babysit for her and I need help on homework." And satisfaction brought that cat back to life. Or so the saying goes.

Senritsu tapped on the board to get our attention, the usual grin on her small face. Yuei patted the stone before turning around, smiling in encouragement.

XXX

"What took you so long?" Leorio asked as I hopped into the passenger seat of his old car. I shivered. "I had to avoid running into any of those girls." He raised an eyebrow, starting the car. "So they've been following you, too? I thought it was just my good looks." He added playfully.

"So are you going to tell me what this 'surprise' of yours is?"

"Docks first." He chuckled. "Impatient, are we?"

The ride back home was spent in silence, though not unpleasant. A small plan was brewing in the back of my mind, ready to leap up and kill any sanity I had left. I really should stop taking advice from Yuei. It just can't be healthy.

When Leorio got out to help Sakuno drag her bags down the drive way, I snuck into the back seat and pulled my feet up across the other two seats. I pretended not to notice Sakuno open the back door and read. With a sigh, she awkwardly closed the door and climbed into the passenger seat. I smiled in satisfaction, hiding it in the wonderful pages of the second book of the series.

We drove to the docks, the silence this time awkward and full of tension. By the time we actually got there and parked, I was still struggling to focus long enough to read a single page.

With the minimum amount of talking possible, the three of us made our way down the sandy walks to the passenger ship that was to take Sakuno home. As Leorio went off to hand her bags to one of the workers, I smiled as convincing as possible. "Miyoshi-san, can I ask you something?" She blinked, "Um…yes. What is it?"

"When's the last time you spoke to your father?"

After a moment of quiet surprise, the woman slowly murmured, "About…seven years ago." I nodded, my suspicions confirmed. "Why don't you pay him a visit?" I suggested. "People change, he may regret sending you away." Sakuno smiled softly, "It's not that simple, Yuukio-san. My father is a very strict man-"

"The worst he can do is say 'no'."

This, apparently, stunned her speechless, for she didn't say anything until Leorio rejoined us. A small smile returned to her face. "I'll…see what I can do."

Leorio muttered a quick farewell, as did she, before Sakuno hurried to board the ship as the captain hollered.

I watched in disinterest as she waved. _There. I owe her nothing now. _We waited until the ship was disappearing across the vast ocean, then I turned towards the car. Off to home, off to the surprise, off to piles and piles of homework. Leorio grabbed my wrist, gently pulling be back. "Let's go for a walk on the beach." It wasn't as if I was eager to get home, or anything. With a shrug and inward sigh, I followed him from the ports down to the sand.

Leorio sat on a large rock, slipping off his shoes and socks, "C'mon, it'll be annoying to get sand in our shoes." Another shrug, and I was sitting beside him, pulling my shoes off and rolling up my jeans. I watched him tuck them behind the rock and stand up.

"You told me…" He grinned. "That you like…sunsets." I raised an eyebrow and followed him down to the water line. "Yes." First word to him since the car ride, wow.

"Let's stay out here for a few hours." Taking my hand again, he led me down the beach. I stared down at our hands. "Is this my surprise?" He chuckled, "No." After walking for quite some time, my arm relaxed and I squeezed back on his hand.

It felt nice, to have a large warm hand encompassed around my own.

The sand was warm under my toes and the water lapped at our feet, the occasional animal skittering by. A warm breeze that tasted of sea water sent small spirals of sand across the rocks and into the water, brushing past our ankles. It was a warm day and good for a trip to the beach, I wondered why it was so empty here. We were utterly alone except for the animals.

"Mmm…I've finally got in touch with the Yuukios a week ago." Leorio interrupted the ocean's song. "And…we talked about you." I frowned at the mention of those two. I had had anything but pleasant memories of the man and woman who had decided they would accept me as a 'gift'. "So?"

"It was surprisingly fast and easy to get the paperwork done." He continued, ignoring my sour tone. "I haven't gotten it into the school's network yet but it's been done. I thought there would be court or something…"

I stopped walking, I think I stopped breathing, too. Simply staring at Leorio with wide eyes and the sand slipping beneath my feet was enough to send my mind in a dizzying race of digesting these words. He couldn't possibly mean what I thought he meant. My hand dropped back to my side and clutched the fabric of my shirt. I gulped, licking suddenly dry lips. "You mean…they _gave me to you_?" He realized with a disappointed look that I had pulled back my hand. "If that's what you'd like to call it. I prefer 'adopt'. It makes you sound less like a possession."

"And more like some dog." I scoffed, taking a step back. "Woof, woof, master. I'm not a loyal puppy so don't think you'll be able to start ordering me around." _Lame_.

"I wasn't planning on ordering you around." He frowned. "I thought you'd be happy. It won't matter if the school finds out you're living with me anymore. Problem solved."

Getting riled up for no apparent reason, around Leorio, seemed to happen a lot.

"I didn't even get a say!" I took a few more steps away. "It's not an adoption, and it's certainly not 'problem solved'. It's like renting a car!" It was probably considered yelling, by now. Shouting at my teacher was definitely not a polite thing to do, even if it was Leorio. But the mention of the Yuukios just brought back the realization that I was nothing more than a petty possession that could be thrown out or given away at a moment's notice.

"Did you even read the whole contract before signing it? I'm nothing more than some toy being passed from owner to owner! Do you know how that _feels_? Why couldn't we just keep going as we were, huh? Knowing that I could come and go from that house whenever I want? Now, if I leave they'll catch me and they'll-…" I choked back the words, neither in the place nor mood to relive the auctioneers' method of obedience.

Leorio watched patiently as I shakily gulped in air. I didn't like yelling, especially at him. My legs and arms were trembling and I wouldn't be surprised if my knees gave out any second now. Memories and thoughts of the years of being auctioned off, from auction to owner to auction to crate to owner and again, flashing past my mind. So many people, until Nostrade had decided it'd be pleasant to have someone to keep his daughter company. That was no better, but at least there were no auctions. Then they'd gotten bored, and I'd been shipped off to the in-laws.

_How much does a human life cost, Yuukio-kun? _Sakuno had asked. _Can you put a price on someone's life?_

It had brought up unwanted recollections of the billions spent by foolish people who wanted to acquire the last living Kuruta. They had all decided I was worth sheets of paper and silver coins, just as she had said about their Pietro.

"I don't know your story." Leorio spoke up now, closing the distance I had put between us in a few easy strides. "So I can't tell you I'll be different than the others because I don't know what they've done or haven't done. Listen, I want to help you. What do you _want_ me to do?"

_Yes, what _do_ you want? _I stared confusedly at my feet. _Making such a scene, you child. For what? _

If I thought rationally and didn't let my emotions and memories get muddled up, it really wasn't all that terrible. Leorio would no longer be at risk of losing his job if the school found the Yuukios had long left me behind and I could continue to stay with him. But at the same time, the term adoption implied…

"So you're my father now?"

He blinked, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I didn't think about that. But…I guess so." I frowned. "You can't be my father. I won't call you 'dad'."

"That's fine." Leorio held out a hand, then let it drop back to his side, repeating. "That's fine." After a few moments of silence, he knelt down and took one of my hands, fiddling with my fingers. "She told you about Pietro, didn't she?"

I nodded, wondering where he was going with this and what it had to do with this so called 'adoption'. He brought my hand to his face, brushing his lips across my fingers. "Do you feel sorry for her?"

"No." It was an easy answer. Miyoshi Sakuno had been so caught up in the death of one person, and how it affected herself, that she didn't realize that other people were hurting to. She was better off than most people ever had been. She has the chance to fix things, but refused to move on. The world wasn't going to stop just for one person, it had to keep going.

I'm a poet at heart, you know.

"I've been thinking about everything that's happened the past few weeks." Leorio turned my hand over, kissing my palm. "And about those delusions and dreams. Kurapika-kun, have you ever kissed anyone?" He took my other hand and held them tightly between his. I chewed on my lip, considering the reply I should give. Why lie?

"Yes." _You_. _But you probably don't remember, you thought it was a dream. _

He pulled me forward, causing me to catch myself on his shoulders to keep from falling over his head. Staring up at me, Leorio grabbed my elbows and made me kneel down with him, pressing his forehead against mine. "Back in the mountains, when I was sick… I thought it was just me being delusional because I kept seeing Pietro. But it wasn't all in my head, was it?"

Arms wrapped around my waist as I shook my head slightly, staring with wide eyes into Leorio's. His sunglass slipped off his nose and fell to the sand, unnoticed. We were so close, I could feel him shaking, and I could tell I was trembling like Jell-O in his arms.

I've lost tract how many comparisons I've made with myself to worthless items the past paragraphs. I must be insane. That would certainly explain the next words that spilled out of my perfectly sober _teacher's_ mouth. Not to mention the fact that this was a public beach and anybody could walk upon this scene any moment now.

"Can I kiss you?"

TBC…

Yuuki: I don't know what it is, but I don't like this chapter –A– Too lazy to proofread, btw….I went back and laced it with random thoughts a few days after I finished it…I realized that I have different writing styles for different fandoms and for one-shots opposed to multiple chaptered fics…Trying to fix it…

Killua: Nothing 'funny' has happened in this end chat in a while -_- And you cheated the update schedule

Yuuki: I'm not a funny person *crosses arms* I am TOTALLY serious…that's why I never pay attention in class and draw Hisoka in wedding dresses or Gon in an Apple suit like from those underwear commercials

Leorio: *his turn for song hunting* ...fufufu...

Kurapika: you better not be looking at porn *reading again*

Leorio: … *exits out of screen* I'm...not… *mutter* anymore… *takes away Kura's book and magazine falls out of it*

Yuuki, Gon, Killua: O_O …that's…Leo's porn magazine

Kurapika: …oh shiiiiiz *runs*

Everyone: Arigatou!


	23. Little Dragon

_How can you see into my eyes like open doors? Leading you down into my core, oh I've become so numb without a soul. My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold until you find it there and lead it back home. _– Bring Me To Life by Evanescence

Chapter 23: Little Dragon

Have you ever found yourself in an extremely embarrassing moment, where you're expected to say something, you can't run away, and realize that even the task of breathing is beyond your reach?

And, to make matters worse, someone else happens to walk in on your moment of embarrassment, a complete stranger, deciding to involve themselves to send you into further humiliation. Please, just kill me now.

"Mommy." A little girl, around three or four, pulled curiously on my shirt. "Why are you and Onii-chan grown-up-hugging?"

Stumped in complete bewilderment at my new-found motherhood, I momentarily forgot the compromising situation Leorio had me in. So because I was just so full of insightful wisdom and never at a lack for intelligent words, I squeaked a high-pitched, "What?"

Brown curls jumped about her head as she pulled harder on my shirt. "I'm hungry, Mommy!" Disappointed at my response, or lack thereof, her large blue eyes began to fill with tears. "I'm…hungry…MOMMY!"

Leorio's iron grip around my waist disappeared as he started at the girl's wails. "Uh, Kurapika, do something…" Mental note to kick his butt for lack of formalities… Oh, what the hey, who cares anymore? Erase mental note with mental eraser…Check.

"_Me_? I don't know what to do!" I'm pretty sure my eye twitched just then, hearing her cries get louder…and louder… and _louder_…

People chose that moment to begin drifting onto the beach, giving us strange looks. Looks that screamed _quite down or leave_. I wasn't exactly sure _how_ to quiet down a toddler, though. And it wasn't like we could simply leave her all alone, nor could we take her with us.

"Mommy…" The girl sobbed, clinging to my arm. "My tummy hurts, Mommy!"

"I-I'll buy you c-cotton cand-dy." I stuttered awkwardly, spying the cart wheeling by on the boardwalk. Her tears instantly ceased as she squealed excitedly, jumping up and down. "Thank you, Mommy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

There is a demon behind every cute face, I tell you.

By now, Leorio had stood up and was watching curiously as I kneeled in the sand with this strange little girl. I looked up at him pleadingly, silently mouthing _help me_. He shrugged sheepishly, holding up his hands and shaking his head.

I stood up, the little girl eagerly latching onto my hand, and trudged up the beach to the cotton candy cart. My legs were still shaky, and now the sand wasn't so comforting under my bare feet.

Buying a cone of cotton candy to please the girl, I led her back to where the teacher was still waiting. I cleared my throat, "We should…"

"…walk around and see if anybody recognizes her?"

_Right, the girl's parents wouldn't leave without her. Unless…she had run away from home…or they had abandoned her…or…_

"Kurapika." Leorio placed his hand reassuringly on my shoulders. "Stop thinking. Leave that to me from now on, got it?"

I nodded numbly, the attempt of not thinking getting harder as I thought about not thinking. Walking down the shoreline hand-in-hand with a little girl I had met all but five minutes ago, I tried my best _not to think_.

Don't think.

I said don't think.

You're still thinking.

Stop thinking about not thinking because then you're thinking and it's your job _not _to think!

Not thinking is harder than I thought.

**XXX ~Killua's POV~**

"KILLUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

_Groan_.

"I'm sleeping, go away."

That is the proper way to greet your best friend, you know.

"LLUA-TAAAAAN!"

"Shut up…."

And that is the proper way to greet your best friend's friend.

The door, much to my further irritation, was flung open. Yuei grabbed my pillow and whacked my face with it. "How can you be sleeping at a time like this? It's an emergency!" Gon utilized my other pillow to assault my much-abused face again. "This is really bad, you have to get up!"

"Did aliens land in the backyard, claiming they are here to eat your dusty, unused brains?" Yes, I will admit it. I can be a bitch at the most conveniently awful times. It's a gift.

"No, but-"

"Go and bother some other unfortunate soul with your nagging."

Yuei yanked my head up by a fistful of white hair, "This is serious! Man, we are so dead if Mito-san gets home soon…including you!" By her tone and the mention of Aunt Mito's wrath, I was instantly alert. I'd rather face brain-eating aliens any day over having an angry Mito on my tail.

Gon sniffled, worriedly clutching my pillow to his chest. "Obaa-san is out in the garden…Before she comes back inside, we have to find…"

**XXX ~Kurapika's POV~**

My admiration for the female gender was heightened to the point of being higher than the tallest mountain of Rukuso. To be able to put up with us, mere children, for 18 years and not lose their sanity…Women must be saints on the inside.

"Mommy! Mommy, mommy, look, look!"

I was probably on the border of insanity myself, after only an hour of 'motherhood'.

"AHHH! Daddy, Mommy, I want a dress like that!"

Was I really like this as a child? How did _my _mother put up with me?

"AHHH! CLOWNS! MOMMY, SAVEMESAVEMEI'MSCARED!"

For that matter, why would they bother becoming parents if the whole point was to slowly be driven insane by our constant requests and wailing? It's not like the world is at a shortage of humans, there's no need to reproduce like rats.

"DADDY! Can I have your glasses?"

And how can children be so oblivious to the scenes they cause? Or the daily stress bestowed upon their parents by their every whim?

"MOMMY!"

_Snap. Crackle. Pop._

No, that was not cereal you heard. That was my waning calm shattering into uncountable pieces.

"Oh, will you _shut up_?" I exclaimed, the words tumbling from my lips with my plummeting patience. Leorio gave me a sharp, disapproving look and the little girl, who had introduced herself as Kaida, stopped walking to stare at me with wide, frightened eyes.

Ah, no, she's crying again. Ah, no, I'm such a low, idiotic being… Ah, no, I spend too much time with Yuei and Killua to have snapped like that without thinking.

Instantly regretting raising my voice, I kneeled down in front of the little girl. Smoothing out her brown curls, I smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry I lost my temper, Kaida-chan. Please don't cry, you didn't do anything wrong." She sniffed, squeezing my hands with all the force in her small body. "Why is Mommy crying?"

I blinked, confused with her question. I'm not crying… I brushed a hand across my eyes. Nope, not crying. "What do you mean?"

"Mommy's crying…" Kaida timidly placed her hand over my chest, "…in here."

**XXX ~Killua's POV~**

"Mou…"

"What?"

"You're like a big brother."

"What the heck? Where did _that _come from?" I raised an eyebrow, dropping a rock noisily to the ground. Yuei grinned, "To Pika-chan. In the cafeteria. You were like a big brother."

"Nobody cares about this." A scowl, though I was more amused than anything else, found its way to my face. "You're just filling up the time-lapse."

"…Eh?" Living proof that there is nothing truly innocent in this world, no matter how deceiving they may look.

**XXX ~Kurapika's POV~**

I sighed loudly, watching Kaida run up to the water then go screaming excitedly back towards us as the waves reached her feet. Leorio and I were sitting on the same rock from earlier, our shoes had magically disappeared leaving only a sock behind.

"KYA!" Kaida giggled, running away from the water again.

We still hadn't been able to find her parents or any trace of where they might be. Nobody had recognized her when we walked by, and on the way back we went to each individual and still came up empty handed. Kaida hadn't been much help, hiding behind my leg every time somebody looked at her any longer than two seconds.

Leorio suggested we leave it to the proper authorities, but I already felt bad about yelling at her.

Again, I sighed loudly, watching the sun slowly cast pink and orange across the ocean. It would be dark in a few hours. Kaida still didn't have her family.

Then again, neither did I.

"What's with the…" Leorio sighed loudly, to mock me, and then grinned. "Lighten up. It's not like her parents aren't on the island."

"Unless she snuck off a boat before it left." I muttered and sighed loudly once more, watching the girl's brown curls bounce as she ran. She squealed again, jumping in the small puddles the gentle waves left behind. Her shoes were safely tucked away with Leorio's sock.

For the first time since sitting down, I realized how close Leorio had chosen to sit. Along with this note, memories of a few hours ago drifted through my consciousness.

"_Can I kiss you?"_

Perfectly sober. And asking that question. Leorio. To me. Information overload, information overload.

Why do I continue to refer to my mental self with robotic metaphors?

"MOMMY!" Kaida flailed her arms, excitement sparkling around her almost visibly. I waved back, just a little, because I had decided to play along in the role of 'mommy'. Though I would have preferred for Leorio to keep the 'Nii-chan' title, as she had called him the first time. But no. Throughout the day, he had slowly progressed from 'Nii-chan' to 'daddy'.

"Don't get your dress wet." I half-heartedly cautioned, knowing she was about to sit in the water anyway.

I was right.

She giggled, kicking her legs up and down as the water seeped up her clothes. It was a very bad day for her parents to let her wear light pink and white.

"Kaida-chan!" I scolded, getting up and quickly scooping her up from the water. "You got all wet!" Kaida giggled again, placing her wet hands on my face. "Now Mommy wet, too!"

Oh, right.

It was a bad day for me to wear off-white, too.

"L-Leorio!" I accused, seeing him begin to laugh. He bit his lip, trying to keep from outright laughing. "Yeah?" Slowly, slowly, Leorio sauntered on over to us, bending down to cup some water into his hands. I gaped, not liking the evil grin that had taken residence on his face. "What are you doing?"

Smirking, he straightened up and poured the water directly over my head.

My murderous expression was just _that _funny, because Kaida giggled and squealed in her high-pitched child voice. Gently, I set her down on the wet sand, taking a moment to get some water into my cupped hands. I smiled innocently at Leorio, "Ne, Sensei…"

"Oh sh_oot_."

**XXX ~Killua's POV~**

"What are you two doing?"

I sweat dropped, watching my idiotic friends do idiotic things. Though amusing, very idiotic. It's what friends are for, right?

Gon held a finger to his lips, "Shhh!" He and Yuei were holding two fishing rods out over the porch. The hooks had been taken off and replaced with a Barbie doll and a brownie.

"All you guys are gonna catch are bugs."

"Well, I asked Aniki if I could borrow Saki today." Yuei grumbled. "But _nooo_. He says spending too much time with any kind of spider, may they be spiders or Spiders, is not good for my 'delicate' mind. Pffft."

"Just call her like a dog _should_ be called." I whistled, just to spite them. "Come here, brat. Come here."

Gon and Yuei turned glares on me. If looks could kill…

**XXX ~Kurapika's POV~**

"I'm soaked." I complained, holding my arms up and very annoyed at how my clothes stuck to my skin. Leorio paused in his light splashing at Kaida, staring at me as if noticing this fact for the first time.

With a very red face, he turned away. "R-right…" Kaida giggled, imitating me by raising her arms and staring at her dress. "Kaida soaked, Kaida soaked!"

"We might have gotten a _little_ carried away." I laughed sheepishly, kneeling down to wipe some sand off Kaida's arm. It had been fun, but the last straggling rays of the sun were about to disappear on the horizon. And we still hadn't found Kaida's parents.

Speaking of Kaida…

She yawned, her small arms wrapping around my neck as she leaned her head on my shoulder. "Mommy…Kaida sleepy." I pated her back and stood up, turning to my teacher. "So? What do we do now?"

For some reason unknown to me, Leorio refused to look directly at me. He stared over my head, "First…there are some things in the car. There's a bag of clothes Sakuno left there, she didn't want to carry them. Something might fit you…and we can put a jacket over Kaida-chan's dress." His gaze lowered slightly, then kept lowering.

"I meant about her parents."

"I was getting to that…" And lowering.

"Leorio."

"What?" And lowering.

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but my eyes are up here."

TBC…

Yuuki: Heh…I love filler chapters…Anywho, this was going to be longer, but I decided to be lazy =D Tried to adopt a new style, this so far is my favorite. Like? Hate? Tell me! I'll change it if ya want~

Killua: Why was I sleeping…in the afternoon? *sweat drop*

Yuuki: Eh? You should try it sometime~ Oh, Kaida will disappear soon, don't worry~ I'm not planning on over-adding OCs~ BTW! Kaida means "little dragon" which I found adorable considering I just called her 'girl' at first…and Kura calls her a little demon at one point so I was like 'd'awwww'! Besides, blondie's voice actor is Kaida Yuki~

Kurapika: *banned from books* …

Leorio: *sticks tongue out* bleeeeh!

Kurapika: -_- … *evil Hisoka idea* …. *smirk*

Leorio: bleeeee-

Kurapika: *bites Leo's tongue*

Gon: *holds up sign* REVIEW PLEASE!

Everyone: Arigatou!


	24. Grocery

_Gonna head to a brand new place where no one has been before. 'Cause we'll never change what has gone on, you know what I mean. _– Life Goes On by Junko Minagawa

Chapter 24: Grocery

"She fell asleep." I whispered, gently rubbing Kaida's face with a towel. Leorio pulled a bag from the trunk of the car, digging through it. "Must be tired. It's been a long day and she's just a kid."

After much wallowing on the topic of Kaida's parents, we decided to save ourselves from catching a cold and head to the car. Now, I was kneeling on the sandy parking lot with Kaida propped up on the back seat. Leorio had dug up some clean towels and was now in search of clothes that didn't consist of dresses or flowers.

Aside from when we went hiking, I was sure I had never seen Miyoshi Sakuno in anything but a dress or skirt. I grimaced, wondering if I'd ever be able to go a day without that woman's name popping up somewhere.

"How about this one? It's not a dress. What? Don't give me that look!"

"It's _pink with frilled sleeves_." I looked at the hideous piece of clothing in disgust. "Has she never heard of good old jeans and a T-shirt? You need better friends."

"Well, sorry that she doesn't have such simplistic tastes." Leorio sweat dropped, "_Mreow_, you're feisty." A blush crawled its way to my face as I turned back to the girl, combing my fingers through the knots in her curly hair. Her parents must be getting worried…

The sun was setting, and sadly I could not enjoy the colors spreading across the ocean and sky. It would be dark soon, and we had to get her home before night arrived. That probably wouldn't happen. We hadn't had much progress. The only fact we knew about her was her first name.

Aside from the obvious Kaida problem, I couldn't stop thinking about…that.

"_Can I kiss you?"_

Did it mean something or was he simply just saying things? What brought it about so suddenly? How was I supposed to respond? Questions, questions, questions. There were never any easy answers in my life that wouldn't bring about more questions. It was quite irritating.

Sighing loudly, just to be annoying, I rubbed the back of my neck. And my finger touched cold mental. I blinked, remembering the necklace Yuei had given me.

Questions? Answers. Along with another question. How was I supposed to get Leorio to put it on?

I sighed, again, dropping my hand. Just when I thought I had an answer, it leaves a headache and slithers away.

"You're sighing again." Leorio noted, handing me a small vest. I carefully pulled it over Kaida's wet clothes, "Just thinking." He shook his head and closed the car's trunk. "I told you to leave the thinking to me, didn't I?"

"The only way for me to stop thinking is to be dead." I muttered, almost inaudibly. Brushing wet hair from Kaida's forehead, I was taken by surprise when hands roughly spun me around. Leorio stared into my unflinching gaze, opening his mouth to say something just to close it again.

"Don't."

XXX ~Killua's POV~

"What are we going to DO?" Gon pulled at his hair, pacing around the room again. If he goes on like this, we're gonna have a trench in the living room.

"We should remain calm and- AH!"

Yuei jumped, hands going to her vibrating pocket. Quickly, she whipped out a phone and flipped it open. "'Ello? Oh, hi, Aniki. Eh…?" She turned away, going off to a corner.

I yawned, watching Gon's grandmother work at the garden through the window. If the brat had gone through the door, shouldn't she have noticed? It's hard to miss a loud dog running through the backyard.

With a squeal, Yuei plopped down on the couch beside me, "Okay! We can stop worrying now." Gon tilted his head to the side, finally pausing in his pacing. Aw, and I was looking forward to the trench in the living room.

"Why?"

"Well, since the Inuko's said they wouldn't come and pick her up till tomorrow morning, we're fine." She explained. I rolled my eyes. "That doesn't explain anything."

"Just trust me."

"Trust is a loose word."

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

"So, what did they say?"

I looked up, watching Leorio climb back into the car. It was dark now, and we couldn't stay on the beach all night. We had finally decided to just call the police.

Whale Island's nonexistent police, mind you. I didn't buy any of this.

He closed the door and turned in his seat, watching Kaida drowsily play with her shoes. "They told me they'd send someone over in the morning." He frowned. "The guy sounded really young though…"

And who intercepted the call? I doubt there are any proper authorities on any of the nearby islands either.

"Then what do we do with her?"

"I guess…she can stay with us for a night." Leorio suggested warily, probably hoping not to set off a fuse. Isn't this considered kidnapping? Kaida looked up from the fascinating aspect of footwear. "Daddy, Kaida hungry."

"Yeah, daddy, Kurapika hungry, too." I teased, finding a form of revenge in this for getting us into this mess. It wasn't entirely his fault, but that wasn't the point. In reality, he didn't actually carry _any _blame for our predicament. That still wasn't the point. I wasn't sure what the point was yet, but I'd find it eventually. Maybe.

He blinked a few times before turning back in his seat and starting the car. "Okay...pizza?"

"No!" Kaida complained, kicking her feet. "Daddy, COOK FOOD!"

"…Microwave pizza?"

"Just drive."

XXX ~Killua's POV~

"Do you plan on sleeping here?"

"Eh? Why not? Aniki and half the Spiders are already in Yorkshiin!" Yuei pouted. "You're not gonna send me off all alone, are you?"

"That was the plan, yes." Spiders? Why would he take a bunch of bugs to the city?

"Killua." Gon scolded, shaking his head. "Don't be so grumpy." My lip twitched as I pointed to the girl, "I wouldn't be grumpy…if she'd get off of MY bed!"

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

We stood before the magnificent doors of a grocery store. People walked past us again and again, some carrying bags of food, others with empty carts. They gave us annoyed looks, seeing as we were standing, unmoving, right in front of these magical doors. Or perhaps it was the fact that we were covered in sand, barefoot, with soaked hair.

Opening and closing automatically, the mysterious doors led to a place where food was a mere step away. Along with the ingredients to disaster.

I was no cook, and I could say the same for Leorio. Our only hope was Kaida. Though I doubted a preschooler knew how to operate, much less reach, even a microwave. Fine, so maybe a microwave was within their limited culinary abilities. But an oven? I think not.

And if Leorio ever suggested letting this little girl near kitchen knives again, I'd be sure to show him other uses for those sharp objects.

"So…"

"Yep." He scratched the back of his neck, staring at the flashing sign of the grocery store. "We…go in?" With a shrug, I took Kaida's hand and went through…the doors.

Yes, _the _doors.

Of a grocery store.

Scary.

Following the example of other shoppers, we managed to weave ourselves through the crowds and find the shopping carts. Pushing one along, Leorio followed closely behind Kaida and I as we shuffled through the maze of shelves.

Squealing, Kaida slipped from my grasp and ran down the nearest aisle. By the time we caught up to her, she had already managed to toss half of the cereal boxes to the floor.

"Kaida!" I pulled her from the next row of victims, "Don't do that, it's bad."

She gasped, holding her tiny hands above her mouth. "Kaida…do bad…?"

My tantrum senses began sending off red alerts as tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "Uh…"

Leorio left the cart and began placing the cereal boxes back on the shelf, "C'mon, Kaida-chan, let's fix the mess." She smiled again, quickly running back to pick up a box. "Yay!"

Urk…I forgot…to say 'chan'…

Grabbing the nearest box of Count Chocola and another of Fruity Pebbles, I lazily threw them into the cart. Why walk those three steps to the shelf when it's right there?

Watching Leorio easily solve the problem, I wondered why I didn't think of this. This way, we cleaned up and saved ourselves from another waterworks session.

After salvaging many, many boxes of cereal, we quickly evacuated the scene of the crime and headed off to another section of the store.

What to get, what to get?

"Mommy…"

What is it this time?

"Yes?"

Kaida held up a box of cookies, pleadingly pushing them into my hands. I looked towards Leorio, but he was engrossed in the variety of brands of bread. One box of sweets wouldn't hurt, would it?

"Ok." I placed the box in the cart. "But just one."

She smiled happily, hugging my leg before running back to the shelves of candy. I leaned my arms against the shopping cart, watching their antics with a small smile.

I could get used to this.

TBC…

Yuuki: *sulks in corner of doom* Short…chapter…again…GOMENASAI!

Killua: what's your excuse this time?

Yuuki: school…homework…school…igotanotherficidea...school…mybrainwaseaten...school

Leorio: *snicker* Kurapika…called me daddy….

Kurapika: …

Gon: review please~

Hisoka: *strikes pose* Ringo-cha~an~

Everyone: ARIGATOU!


	25. Eavesdropper

_Make a vow and devote my days. Let the people say "He's so ambitious". Go ahead and make my day _– Grand Slam by Yuki Kaida

Chapter 25: Eavesdropper

"Mommy!"

_Groan. _What now?

"Yes, Kaida?" I sat up, sleepily peering at the toddler. Kaida, who thankfully possessed the powers of changing clothes on her own, stood awkwardly at the end of my bed. I swung my feet onto the ground and stifled a yawn, "I thought you were asleep." She was when we left her in the spare room, at least.

"Kaida have bad dream." She sniffled, clutching a blanket in her trembling hands. "Kaida wanna sleep with Mommy and Daddy."

By now, I had stopped wondering about these childish antics, and had just accepted them to be. Such as referring to myself as 'Mommy' or speaking in 3rd person. But now this?

"Okay, okay." I moved aside, patting the space beside me. Just let her fall asleep, then I'd go off to the spare room…it's just one night. Kaida frowned, "_No_. Kaida wanna sleep with Mommy _and _Daddy."

Sometimes, I wonder if she does these things specifically _to _rob me of any dignity I'd been able to cling on to.

"Kaida." I complained, lip twitching into a pout. "Even if you pretend we're your parents, we're not. The three of us can't sleep together on one bed."

"Mommy!" She began jumping up and down, stomping her feet as loud as she could. Rubbing my forehead to ward off the oncoming headache, I searched my mind for a way to explain this 'delicate' subject to a three year old.

And came up with nothing.

"Fine." I looked heavenward in exasperation, taking Kaida's hand and leading her out into the hall. A few steps – dragged for me, skipping for her – and we stood before Leorio's door.

I seem to find myself standing before doors a lot lately.

With a reluctant knock, I waited for the door to open. And waited. And waited…and…waited…

"LE-" _Knock_ "-O-" _Knock _"-RI-" _Knock _"-O!" _Knockknockknock_

Stepping back, we waited (again) as the thumping of footsteps got closer. A rather groggy and disoriented looking Leorio flung himself out the door, holding a shoe defensively.  
"WHAT?WHO?WHERE?"

"Kaida wants us to sleep together."

The shoe clattered to the floor.

Before he could make some typical Leorio comment, I snatched up the discarded shoe and held it threateningly at his chin. "Don't say something that'll make me want to kill you. We wouldn't want to risk getting blood on the carpet, now would we?"

Kaida giggled, stretching her arms and slipping into the room. Sighing, I followed closely behind, leaving Leorio to wallow in the doorway. Grasping his situation, the teacher closed the door again and immediately sought out the light switch. "H-hold on! You want u-u-" – he seemed to be having trouble with two lettered words – "-_us_ to sleep on the s-same bed? AREYOUINSANE?"

"We did it before." I sweat dropped, lifting an eyebrow at his flustered expression. "And _she _wants this. Her parents probably let her sleep in their bed. When she falls asleep you can go to the spare room and I'll go to mine. Are you drunk again? You have that faraway expression, like you see my lips moving but you can't hear what I'm saying. Leorio? Hello?"

"Daddy's silly." Kaida explained, climbing onto the bed and ducking beneath the covers. Rolling my eyes, I backtracked to the door and shut off the lights before pulling on his sleeve. "Do you really have to make this such a big deal?"

"S-says the modest one. Are you sure you're awake?" He accused, begrudgingly following me to where Kaida waited as patiently as only a toddler could.

"I'm tired." I whined, "At this point, I don't care where, I just want to sleep."

Though I would never admit it, the thought of cuddling up on the bed was very tempting…

Okay, where did _that _come from?

I had barely enough time to pull back the covers when a wild echo of ringing filled the house. I jumped, tumbling back to the ground as the doorbell continued to sound. All too eager to escape the confinement of the room, Leorio practically flew out the door and down the hall. Kaida giggled, watching as I slowly got back to my feet.

"Who that?" She asked, sliding off the bed to chase after him. Realizing this would keep me even further from dreamland, I flopped onto the bed and decided they would tell me who it was when they returned. I hadn't been expecting, however, to fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

XXX ~Killua's POV~

It was 1 am. _1 am_.

All sane people were now asleep, comfortably snuggling into their blankets. But us? No. We were out in the freaking cold, at night, with slippers on our feet and light sweaters on our backs. Why? Because Gon is a worrywart, that's why.

And to make matters worse, I had accidently grabbed Mito's slippers. I didn't like pink cows with fluffy bells. Especially the kind that go _moo _when you press the nose.

Yuei peeked from behind our bush, blocking the view of the house. The house currently occupied by our math teacher, along with that blond thing. Stupid blond thing…

"Killua?" Gon whispered, eyebrows knitting together. "Did you just growl?"

Yuei shushed us with a wave of her hand, peering around the leaf growth. I stifled a yawn, annoyed with the fact that I was being deprived of some much needed sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Maybe I could just curl up here, with a nice leaf pillow…

I was brought back from the edges of slumber by approaching footsteps and a familiar high pitched squeal.

The squeal…of doom.

"MAMMA!"

A small body jumped, managing to knock me into the bushes. With a hushed half-yell, I tried to peel off tiny hands from my face. "Oi, I'm no woman!"

Brown curls bounced against her small face as Inuko Kaida giggled. I never liked dogs…

"Pappa, pappa!" Kaida turned her attention towards Gon, smiling widely. "Kaida had fun, fun, fun! Mommy is no funny like Mamma and Daddy smells like Grandpa but they nice." She babbled, ignoring the growing irritation in my expression.

"Auntie Yuei!" She hopped to her feet, jumping in place. "Auntie, Auntie, Kaida wanna go to beach!"

Yuei patted her head, turning towards the sandy-haired man beside us. He was wearing a cop's uniform, along with false identification. Past the cheerful smile and innocent façade, I wasn't sure if I liked what I saw.

"Thanks, Shal." Yuei pointed accusingly. "But tell Aniki to stop babysitting me. I can take care of myself until tomorrow."

He laughed, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I can never decide whose wrath I should be more afraid of." Casually, he gave us a once over before tapping his cheek. "So I'm guessing that's your way of telling me to get lost?"

"Yup."

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

"…-ka."

Not again…

I curled further into a tight ball, unwilling to open my eyes just yet. I couldn't have been asleep for more than five minutes…since Kaida woke me up.

"…-pika."

Oh, that's right. Kaida woke me up. And she didn't want to sleep all by herself.

"…-apika….Oi."

So we went to find Leorio. And the doorbell rang. And that means…I'm still in his room.

"Kurap- OW!" Leorio stumbled a few paces back, rubbing his throbbing jaw. "What was that for?"

Yawning, I rubbed my eyes childishly, ignoring the weird _squish_ sound it made. Leorio was kneeling on the bed, watching as I sat up. Looking around, I realized there was something missing. Hmm, what was it?

"Thanks for punching me." He grumbled sarcastically. With a tired, lopsided smile, I leaned my head against his shoulder. "No…prob…lem…"

I couldn't recall exactly what, or who, had made the day so tiring. But as the world faded into blissful oblivion and the safety of someone's arms, I decided it could wait until tomorrow.

XXX ~Leorio's POV~

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of class, and students reluctantly began drifting towards their first period seats. As more and more desks filled up, an unsettling pit of nervousness grew in my stomach.

I wasn't sure why I was so nervous this morning, it wasn't much different than any other Wednesday, after all. Though I could only guess why.

"Good morning." I began once most everyone had sat down. "You should all have your textbooks. The page numbers are all written up on the board. Are there…" My gaze found familiar blue eyes, drying my mouth and making it harder to finish the sentence. Almost an eternity later, I managed a weak, "…any questions?"

What does this boy have over me to make me feel so inadequate?

Immediately, a hand shot up from the back.

"Yes?"

"What happened to your face?" She asked, giggling.

"I tripped." I lied, clearing my throat. Another voice interrupted, "That looks like a good punch. Who's got the good arm?"

"Any questions not concerning my injury?"

Uncomfortable fidgeting, realizing they might have hit a nerve. Sighing, I slumped back into the soft cushiony goodness of my chair. "Good. Get to work." I was in no mood to crack any jokes this morning.

Pulling out the attendance book, I quickly scanned the faces and wrote for each respectively. Everybody was present today, except for…

"Where is Tsukikumo Yuei?"

"Vacation." Gon piped up. "She left last night for Yorkshiin."

Ah, right.

Speaking of Yorkshiin… My eyes drifted back to the pen flashing through pale fingers, tapping the page and beginning to write. Halfway down the page, it pauses and flips back through those long fingers. The other hand comes up to push golden hair from aqua eyes and, completing its task, drops back to the desk. The pen runs down a few more lines as I put down the attendance book.

Having given out an assignment and taken attendance, I had some time to myself. I decided to use this to my advantage. Sitting down in the empty seat beside the blond, I took in his delicate features and sat in silence. The way soft, golden strands tumbled carelessly over his forehead, those cat-like eyes intent on solving the problems in front of them. His rose-colored lips, so utterly kissable. I tried to banish such thoughts from my mind, but failed instantly.

It wasn't until the page was a few lines short of being full that Kurapika noticed, or decided to acknowledge, my presence.

He continues to watch, impatience and confusion barely concealed. Or perhaps that was done on purpose.

"You're so reckless."

"You're the reckless one." Kurapika defended, tapping the paper with his pen. "You let Kaida, a _little girl_, go off with some random person off the street."

"I told you, it was a police officer."

"Leorio, there _are no police on Whale Island_." His eyes narrowed, the pen continuing to tap away. "Anybody can make, or buy, an officer's suit and get false identification. I could do it if I wanted to."

"Why won't you believe me?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice at a whisper. Annoyance had welled up within me, but it then subsided quickly as another emotion replaced it, seeing deep blue eyes glance away. Could it be he was worried about something else?

"You can't be so naïve in this world, you'll get killed." Kurapika explained, voice much calmer than I would have thought. "And if that ever happened, I…"

"You would wh-"

"I know I shouldn't have just left this morning, but the walk to school gave me time to think." He interrupted, setting the pen down. "Think of it as 'adoption' if you want. But those papers you signed were nearly the same as papers you would fill out to buy a house or something. The illegal version, anyways."

"Go and change the subject, why don't you."

"Don't tell the school. If someone finds out you've bought a teenage boy on the black market, you'll lose your job."

"It's adoption! So maybe it wasn't the right set of papers for that but it's not like I'm making you into some sort of slave or-"

"Daddy, stop talking."

The words died in my throat, leaving me gaping like a thirsty fish. Kurapika rolled his eyes, "That was certainly effective."

Taking a glance to ensure there were no eavesdroppers, the blond lowered his voice. "Which brings about my next point. What you said on the beach…" He trailed off. Was that a blush I spied?

"I said a lot on the beach." I reminded him. Though I was pretty sure I knew what he meant, I wanted to hear him say it out loud for a reason beyond me.

"A-about…you know." He hissed, waving a hand in front of his face. "Are you r-really going to make me s-_say _it?" Receiving a nod, Kurapika continued albeit reluctantly. "The…kissing…thing. If anybody ever finds out what happened between us, you'll lose your job, too."

"Nobody has to know." I offered. "It's our secret." It should be simple to the mind of a 17 year old. You don't kiss and tell and nobody finds out. If only it were that easy.

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"It's not right. Legally, morally. No matter which angle you look at it from, it's wrong to involve yourself with me. You'll lose your job and any respect from the people around here. I'm not worth it."

"I know the consequences."

"No, you obviously _don't_." He hissed, now having trouble with keeping his voice quiet. "Look, in a perfect world I wouldn't be alive and you'd be a doctor already. But it's not. Everything I've been taught is against this and I can't risk what'll happen if anybody ever found out."

"How is love wrong?"

I realized I finally hit the right chord when Kurapika fell silent. Unable to respond, we sat there as he searched for a reasonable answer, though one probably didn't exist. Seeing the determination die off his face, I began to wonder if it had been the wrong thing to say.

With a crestfallen expression, he leaned his elbows on his knees and dropped his head to his hands. "Leorio, don't do this to me."

"Excuse me." A girl stepped up behind me, shyly fidgeting with the edges of her paper. "What do we do when we're done?"

"Just leave it on your desk, I'll get it when everyone leaves." As I watched her nod and leave, I realized that anybody could easily hear our conversation. With an inward sigh, I turned back to the blond. "See me after class."

Licking dry lips, he lifted his head and stiffened his shoulders. "No, we finish this right now." Digging his nails into his palms, Kurapika stood from his seat, "You called this 'love'? Leorio, you should know I've only stuck around to get a free ride to Yorkshiin. You're merely a pawn in my game; I've never loved you and never will."

The bell rung, and the class filed out of the room.

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

"That was quite a show you put up there~"

"I wasn't acting."

"Oh? So you wouldn't mind me taking him along?" Hisoka giggled creepily, licking his lips. "Though he's not quite as delicious as that short friend of yours, with black hair, nice big brown eyes…"

"Lay a finger on any of them," I shot a glare over my shoulder, "and you'll pay for every glance you ever sent their way."

"As fascinating as this chat is," He stepped in front of me, cornering me against a wall, "what about our little deal?"

"No thanks, Hisoka." I shouldered my way past him, continuing down the hall. "I'll find my own way." Without turning around, I could sense a sick grin twisting across his lips.

"Suit yourself, Kuruta boy."

A chill went down my spine, but by the time I turned around, Hisoka was gone. Alone in the empty hallway, my mind traced back to the classroom. Leorio's hurt expression, and the tearing sensation in my chest.

Turning, I ran for the nearest exit without a glance back, my vision blurring with every step.

TBC…

Yuuki: OMG! (coughs) Ahem…anyways…Surreal Reality is nearing its end DX I didn't get to include everything I wanted to, but I decided I didn't wanna make this too long…Besides…I couldn't get Leorio's POV down right…and my dad was like OAO when I asked him about how an old man thinks...after awhile I stopped trying and just wrote down whatever came to mind...not proofread, btw...

Killua: ._.

Leorio: *A* so it's all Kaida's fault…

Kurapika: no, if anything, she held it off longer *stomps away*

Gon: *song hunting duty* Kinda feel like it don't make sense~ 'Cause you're bringing me in now you're kicking me out again~ Love so strong~ Should you move on?~ Now I'm hung up in suspense~ 'Cause you're bringing me in then you're kicking me out again~

Kaida: C= review pwease! Send Kaida luv! Send Kaida luv!

Everyone: ARIGATOU!


	26. Auction

_I'm giving all I've got to make you stay. Or am I just a roadblock in your way? And it might drive me insane, if your lips aren't speaking my name _– Love like Woe by The Ready Set

Chapter 26: Auction

_Chink._

The sound of greedy people, bustling about with chatter. Women clinking along with high heels, men laughing with hands over their large guts. Lights hung above me, shining down on my closed eyelids.

_Chink._

The sound of metal. Of a chain, and the cold sensation on my neck and wrists. I'm sprawled across a hard and cold floor, using most of my energy just to keep myself breathing.

Where am I?

There's a man standing somewhere nearby, speaking words into a microphone. I can't understand what he's saying in my disoriented mind. His gruff voice continues, growing more confident with the sounds of the greedy people around us. There's someone else behind me, pulling my head off the floor by a fistful of hair. I would have winced in pain, but I couldn't move.

What's going on?

I couldn't remember where I was. Who I was. How I got there. But I knew something was wrong, and that I needed to get away.

A buzzing filled my ears, and I was able to catch a few of the man's words.

"We'll start the bidding at 50 million!"

"55!"

"56!"

"60!"

"77!"

"100!"

I tried forcing my eyes open, but my brain wouldn't obey the signals I was sending. What was the point, really? To confirm what I already knew.

How did I get here? How did they catch me?

How was I going to get myself out of this one?

"We have 100 million! Are there any further bids? No? I don't hear any. Then for 100 million…"

"_Hey, kid!" One of the janitors, pausing in his task of raking leaves, called after me as I ran from one of the school's side entrances. "Kid, where you going? Hey!"_

_I ignored him, sprinting into the trees until I came upon the fence. Already, I could hear the crunching of footsteps a few paces behind me. Without wasting a beat, I jumped, clinging to the chain-linked fence. Disregarding the cuts appearing across my hands, I reached the top and jumped down to the other side. I tripped and lay there panting, out of breath._

"_Kid!" The man yelled, turning over his shoulder. "Hey, somebody get down here! We've got a runaway!" _

_As he began to climb the fence, I dragged myself back to my feet. Why hadn't I just walked away calmly? I could've gotten away without any trouble._

_I was on my feet again, running through the trees and away from the main road. _

_Just get to the house, toss the key, get some money for a boat ride…_

_Even when I didn't hear anyone behind me, I kept running until I got to the docks. I hadn't gathered up enough courage to get back to the house, to take something that wasn't mine…_

_My red bag bumped into my side as I ran down the shoreline, dodging past all the ship workers. Somehow, I ended up falling onto sacks of clothes, trying to catch my breath._

"_Kuruta." An unfamiliar voice taunted, waiting for me to look up. I unwillingly met the stranger's gaze, dread crawling up my spine. He motioned to the gun held under his jacket, grinning smugly. "Get up."_

_I slowly got to my feet, urging my aching limbs to function properly as I worked out an escape route. _

_Not giving up a second for him to react, I launched a kick at his torso, sending the gun flying into the water. The man doubled over, holding his side. "You little…"_

_I hadn't been expecting, however, for someone to come up behind me. A sickingly sweet scent filled my mouth, sending my knees to the ground. The cloth fell to the wooden dock as the person swung me over their shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and the world went black._

The man with the microphone paused for suspense as I managed to open my eyes. He held a hammer above his head, "For 100 million, it goes to-"

"120 million!" A familiar feminine voice yelled. Struggling to focus, I managed to make out a figure pushing her way to the front. Black hair bobbed about her head, smudges of a violet color for her eyes. A black and red dress was stretched tightly against her body, along with high-heeled black boots. "120 million…" She repeated breathlessly. A man followed closely behind her, a white bandage wrapped around his forehead.

_There was a scream. It might've been mine. I'd been hearing so much screaming lately, I couldn't tell the difference. _

_I struggled against the hold on my arms and legs, trying to get away from the needle at my stomach. There was sick snickering from the people around me. Someone said something about 'spiders' and 'tattoos', and I felt like vomiting._

_What are they doing?_

_I was afraid to find out._

The man on stage, the one with a gruff voice along with a microphone, whistled. "You've got quite the budget, young lady. The bid is at 120 million! Anyone else?"

"125!"

"140!"

The girl gazed around in horror, realizing the bidding war she had ignited. The dark-haired man beside her raised his hand. "200 million!" She glanced at him in relief, admiration shining in her eyes.

"_Oh? What's this?"_

"_Give it back!" I reached through the bars of the dog crate – yes, you read that right – and tried to snatch away my bag. The man held it up, mere millimeters from my grasp, as he dug through it._

"_A flower?" He mocked, holding up the withering plant. _

_Pressing against the cold bars, I tried to grab it. "Someone gave it to me! Why don't you mind your own-…?" I trailed off, eyes widening as the man crushed the small flower and threw it to the floor, twisting it under his foot. My hand dropped back to my side, a lost feeling slithering into my mind._

_The flower, from the carnival…_

_The rest of the man's taunts and antics were lost on me, and he eventually grew tired of the game. Leaving the bag and its contents, he strode away and began banging on another cage. Absentmindedly, I pulled my red bag closer, clutching it tightly as I stared helplessly at the crushed flower._

_Falling to the floor numbly, I spent the next few hours simply staring at it. Even after someone with a broom passed by, sweeping it away, I stared at the spot. At the small green stain on the ground. _

"And we have 200 million! Going once! Twice! And…sold!"

Behind me, the man raised his hand and brought it down hard. Gasping for breath, I fell forward into dark oblivion.

Before I had completely blacked out, I caught a glimpse of a dark mark across my side.

XXX

A groan escaped my lips, turning my head away from the bright lights.

"Kurapika!"

My eyes flew open as someone threw their arms around me. Gasping, I jumped away from them, trembling and wide-eyed, wrapping my own arms around my stomach.

"Kurapika…?" Yuei asked worriedly, face pinched with concern. She was wearing a red and black dress, skin tight and obviously expensive, and her hair was a few inches longer than I remembered.

I sank into the pillow, wrapping thick covers around me. I didn't know this place. This too-large bed and these too-large clothes. An oversized, white button-up shirt and knee-high socks. These weren't mine. Nor did I recognize the room. It was a hotel room, yes, but none I could recall checking into.

"Where am I?" I gasped, finding even the simple task of breathing difficult. Yuei reached out a hand, then let it drop back to her side. "We're in a hotel, in Yorkshiin. Aniki and I were at the underground auction, and we walked past one of the rooms, and I saw…I saw… Kurapika, what did they _do_?"

"A-auction? But the September Auction was-"

"Yesterday was the first day of the _December_ Auction."

My mouth fell open partly, trying to read into this new piece of information. Just exactly how long had I been with those people?

"You have a fever." Yuei cautioned as I tried to stand. "Those creeps drugged you, too. Don't overexert yourself, it's not healthy. They didn't let anything heal into a scar, and Aniki got Machi to heal you earlier, but…"

Three months. Three months since being caught at the Whale Island docks…

"Everyone's been worried. Killua called the other day, said that at first everybody thought Hisoka kidnapped you or something until this janitor said he thought he saw you…" She trailed off with a tired sigh, leaning back into a chair. "Honestly, Kurapika, what were you thinking? Running away like that…What were you hoping to achieve? Darn, I sound like an old man."

Using the wall for support, I slowly made my way towards the floor-to-ceiling window covering an entire wall. Legs trembling, I pulled back the curtains.

Buildings rose up to the horizon, tall and broad, intimidating the smaller shops around them. Cars ran along the paved streets, pedestrians walking in crowds down every sidewalk. Lights shined in the dark, early morning sky. Yorkshiin. The ever-moving city where memories are made.

"Kurapika." Yuei said suddenly, making me jump. Urgently, she stood from her chair with a serious expression. "Aniki's coming up the stairs. No matter what, do _not _overreact-"

The door opened behind her, and I couldn't help but jump again. I should've been able to hear footsteps…

A young man with a head full of dark, lush hair and endless black eyes closed the door behind him with a smile. My eyes immediately went to the white bandage around his forehead. A head wound?

"I see you're awake. I hope you're feeling well?" He smiled politely, regarding me with thoughtful eyes. I blinked, trying to think through the headache pounding in my head. There was something I should be asking about…

"Ah!" My face paled. "My bag!"

"This ol' thing?" Yuei pulled the red bag from under the bed, "Auctioneers said it came with the package. Aniki said not to open it so I just assumed it was full of condoms and lube or somethin-"

"Y-Yuei!" I scolded, leaning against the wall. "Why would you assume that?"

She shrugged, carefully placing it on a pillow. "Well, I'm sure _that _was certainly something going through ever single male mind at the auction. I'm sure you've been told this before, Kurapika, but you're very pretty." As an afterthought, she added. "Well, everyone besides Aniki. I've come to think he's got about as much interest in that particular topic as a rock."

My attention drifted back to 'Aniki'. Or, to be more exact, his forehead. Shifting my weight to one foot, I asked, "Did you get hurt?"

"I'm uninjured. Why?" He followed my gaze to the bandage around his head. "Oh, this. It's just an old scar."

I didn't miss Yuei's flinch, nor the drain of color in her face. Turning my back towards them, I rested my head against the cool glass of the window. "I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble."

"Not at all."

Watching the reflections through the window, I saw a smile flicker across his lips. I shuddered, suddenly wary of the man's presence in the room. His uncanny resemblance to someone I knew, though I couldn't pinpoint who he reminded me of. I no longer felt comfortable in this room.

Was it really such a good idea to stick around any longer?

"I don't want to impose." I breathed against the glass, watching the city lights fog up on the window pane. "Once the sun comes up I'll leave."

"But Kurapika!" Yuei complained. "You're sick and who knows what kind of drugs they put in your system! You could pass out in the middle of the road! You could just stay with us for a week and then we'll head back to Whale Island-"

"I'm not going back." I spread my hand across the fogged up glass. "I have something to do here."

"What about Hanashi-sensei?" She huffed, boots thumping against the carpet as she got closer. I closed my eyes, "What about him?" I thought about the cold seeping into my forehead, about the soft socks on my feet. I tried to think about anything. No matter what, I could _not_ let myself think about Leorio. There were other priorities right now which could not be muddled up with his interference.

"We should let him rest." The man placed a comforting hand on Yuei's shoulder, halting her from coming any closer. "It's his decision whether he stays or goes, you can't force him."

Her mouth fell open, astonishment leaking across her expression. It was as if she couldn't believe her ears. Finally, she sputtered, "B-b-but Aniki! You said-"

The buzzing sound filled my ears again, blocking the noise of the fan above our heads, of their words. I tried to open my eyes again, struggling to keep my legs upright. My vision blurred as I squinted at the bickering reflections in the window. Everything shivered, like the tops of cars on a humid summer day. Slowly sliding down to my knees, my breathing started coming in short huffs.

Lights crisscrossed and danced across my eyes, the world spinning in colorful circles. My attention shifted towards my own reflection, towards the reddening color of my eyes.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach, doubling over at the burning sensation ripping across my side. Black stars dotted my vision, blending my surroundings together. My legs turned to jelly, giving out completely from under me. There was a beeping sound, like a heart monitor in a hospital. But I was in a hotel, there were no heart monitors around. Perhaps a microwave? If this was a hospital, there would be doctors. Doctors…

Whimpering, I tried curling into a tighter ball. Away from that beeping noise. Tears squeezed themselves out of my eyes. But I wasn't crying, no. I wouldn't possibly be crying. There was sweat running down my forehead, irritating my eyes. That was all. I wasn't crying.

Just as I thought the beeping would cause my head to explode, everything went quiet. Completely silent, as if someone had pulled the plug on an alarm clock. Cautiously, I opened my eyes and peered up at the ceiling. There were circles standing out, bright and shiny.

Were those…UFOs?

Yuei's head blocked out the UFOs, and her mouth began moving. Saying something in Chinese, because it certainly couldn't be Japanese, little wrinkles began forming under her eyes. Carefully, she helped me sit up. I looked around, and that's when I spotted _it_.

_A giant marshmallow_.

I staggered over to it with her help, eventually sinking into the smaller marshmallows on top of it. Hastily, Yuei pulled some flattened marshmallows out of the giant marshmallow and threw it over me.

Turning away, she started talking again. Now I was doubting it was Chinese. Perhaps…Italian. Yes, that was it. Yuei was speaking Italian. For the first time, I noticed the black pieces of pasta hanging from her ears. I wanted to warn her not to put food in her ears because it would spoil that way. But, obviously, I hadn't the slightest idea on how to speak Italian. After a while, I decided French was as close as I was going to be getting to the language.

"_Ne jouez pas avec votre nourriture._" I murmured quietly, catching her sleeve. Surprised, she muttered something in German. Why can't she just make up her mind? Following her eyes, I noticed the man standing at the end of the bed. His lips twitched up into a grin when he caught my gaze. He had black hair- no. It was dark brown. And black eyes- no. His eyes were blue. His pale skin darkened to a slight tan, and his face became longer, less doll-like.

My eyelids drooped and the features reversed, back to their original state. With a sad smile, I slipped into unconsciousness.

TBC…

Yuuki: It wasn't until after I finished writing this chapter that I realized I messed up the timing of Kura's little rejection…oh well~ Let's see how it goes~ BTW! This was written mostly late at night, so my brain had already been drained…so I found that even when I proofread, I still couldn't do it right because I have no more time to write during the day…consider this NOT proofread, ne?

Killua: only an insane mind could come up with some of these things

Yuuki: …THAT…is beside the point lol

Kurapika: Nya~

Leorio: … O+O

Kurapika: Nya?

Leorio: *faints*

Gon: *walks in wearing chicken suit* review please~


	27. Luna

_I'm here on the edge again, I wish I could let it go. I know that I'm only one step away from turning around. Can you still see the heart of me? All my agony fades away when you hold me in your embrace _– All I need by Within Temptation

Author's Comment: Weird poem/song/thing at the beginning was written by meh sister…who has recently taken my HXH manga hostage and had threatened me by the power of Domo that she'd not hesitate to throw them out the window if I didn't include it…

Chapter 27: Luna

Just because you're breathing, it doesn't mean you're alive.

And just because you're smiling, it doesn't mean you're not dead inside.

Someone once told me that nothing is as it seems.

But how do I know if it's real or if it's all dreams?

Why can't it be simple? Why isn't it easy?

Well, why is the sky blue? Why do questions make you queasy?

So many stories that must be weaved…

And none will be believed.

xXx

_He knew this house, he certainly did. The broad doors and creaky porch, the thick trees and shivering curtains. As Leorio determinedly marched up the short steps, he flung the door open and paid no mind when it banged shut behind him._

_Wasting time was no option. He went directly to the two pairs of stairs, halting a few feet away._

_One stair case led up, quiet and inviting. The other led down, dark and unforgiving, agony-filled screams echoing up its corridor. But it wasn't the stair cases Leorio was interested in. No, not this time._

_A little boy stood between the stair cases, swinging his head to and fro, as if trying to decide which steps to take. A little brown hat sat on his blond head, standing out from the white clothes and black shoes the boy wore._

"_Who are you?"_

_The boy's shoulders stiffened, and his head slowly turned. A mischievous grin greeted Leorio as the boy skipped closer. "You should know, you should know! Who am I? Who am I? I know, I know!"_

"_I heard," Leorio stepped away from the boy's- no, girl's curious hands, "that Kurapika had a sister."_

_She giggled, large blue eyes glinting smugly. "Ring around the roses! Pockets full of posies! Ashes, ashes, we all burned down!" With a bounce, she skipped back to the stairs, twirling down the first steps. Giggling, she cast the teacher a glance. "If someone is killed, there's most likely a reason why."_

_As she disappeared into the scream-infested blackness, she sang, "I love you, I love you, my sweet poison. I love you, I love you, my Lucifer. I love you, I love you, my _Danchou_."_

Shivering, Leorio jumped out of bed. And, realizing he was alone, glanced towards the phone. He had no idea what compelled him to do so, but then he had the phone to his ear and was waiting through the rings.

"_Leorio?_" Sakuno asked warily, answering after the second ring. She hadn't heard from him for months, after all. Taking a deep breath, Leorio asked, "Do you still have Pietro's research papers? From Senior year?"

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

"I love you, I love you…my sweet…" I sang quietly, staring out the window. "I love you…I love you…my sin…" I closed my eyes against the rising sun. "I love you, I love you…my…L-…" Trailing off with a sigh, I curled further into the lush fabric of the bed.

There was slow, soft clapping from behind me, causing me to jump. Yuei's Aniki stood at the door with an amused smile, "_Je t'aime, je t'aime, mon doux poison. __Je t'aime, je t'aime, mon Lucifer. Je t'aime, je t'aime, mon Danchou_. It's been a while since I've heard that."

I remained silent, gears beginning to turn in my groggy brain. This man shouldn't know that song. No matter if he travels on business a lot, he should not know it.

"My family…liked to pass the time this way." I answered warily. It was obvious that he had been expecting a response, I could only give him one. Blinking innocently, I added, "Where did _you_ hear it?"

"It was sung to me quite a few times." His eyes softened as he studied me thoughtfully. "It's a very pleasant tune, don't you think?" Clicking two legs together, Saki appeared on his shoulder. The spider crawled down his arm and onto the bed, quickly retreating to the floor as he sat beside me.

A feeling of suffocation pressed down on my chest, and I felt like a mouse trapped in a cat's paw. A rabbit in the mouth of a fox. Saki climbed up the wall to a corner, where she sat on a web. Trapped between two legs was a butterfly. A butterfly in a spider's web.

I looked up as a hand was place on my cheek, staring into depthless black eyes.

XXX ~Killua's POV~

"Ehhh? You FOUND HIM?"

"Shhh!" I snatched the phone away from Gon, motioning towards the door. If Mito found out we were on the phone so early in the morning, she'd bake our butts over an open fire with great pleasure.

Sitting cross-legged on my bed, I pressed the phone against my ear. "Where was he?" On the other line, Yuei sighed. "In…the underground auction of Yorkshiin."

"Thought so."

"You're not surprised?" She asked curiously. With a wry smile, I pulled away from Gon's insistent reach. "Considering he's the last Kuruta, no. What I am curious about, is what _you _were doing in the underground auction. Not that I'm not thrilled that the blond thing's safe."

"Killua…" She whispered and, as I heard soft footsteps in the background, softly added, "I'm sorry..."

"Huh?" The only answer I received was the dial tone.

XXX ~POV~

"_Mommy!" A little girl sobbed, the edges of her long, dark hair singed. "Mommy, look what they did!" _

_As she walked into the room, she saw the short woman jump at her shouts. With clumsy hands, she quickly hid something into the drawer of a desk and turned around with a nervous smile. "Yes, dear?" _

_The six year old pouted, clenching her small hands into fists, "My _hair_. They burned it. At school." The woman kept a hold on the edge of the desk, reluctant to move from her place. "Go get some scissors and I'll trim it, okay?"_

"_What's that?" Her burnt, black hair swung across her back as the toddler stepped closer. Her mother leaned away, "Nothing! Don't be nosy!"_

_Violet eyes narrowed, observing the nervous twitching of the woman's lips, the frightened gleam in brown eyes. She had never liked this woman, no. Her mother or not, she didn't like the other men that came to visit whenever daddy was away. _

_Yes, that was it. Mother was hiding something, something having to do with her father. Because that was the only thing that made this woman nervous. _

"_I'm hungry." The little girl complained, holding her arms to her stomach. "Can I have a sandwich?" _

"_Y-yeah…" Giving a reluctant pat to the desk, the woman warily left the room to the kitchen, making sure to lock the door behind her. The girl easily slipped the key from her passing pocket, waiting for her to disappear down the hall before sneaking back into the room._

_Stealthily making her way across the dark room, she made sure to keep the lights off before opening the drawer. Curiously, she pulled out a sparkling, purple gem as big as her hand from the desk. As she studied it, she recalled seeing her father carrying it._

"_I knew it." She muttered, safely tucking it into her pocket before exiting the room. Locking the door, she turned around only to bump into someone. Had she been caught?_

_But there was no one home, aside from herself and mother._

_Looking up, a bead of sweat made a trail down her back as she gazed into soulless black eyes. A young boy stared down at her expressionlessly, shoulder-length hair brushing his refined cheeks. _

_A scream erupted from the kitchen, and the boy moved forward._

"Shal," Yuei murmured, watching the young man run back and forth between two computers. "Has Aniki ever lied to you?" Bumping his head, Shalnark winced, "Aren't we supposed to be quiet whenever we break into a building?"

"Have you ever been lied to by Aniki?" She rephrased. Pausing in his hacking task, the sandy-haired man tilted his head in thought. "Lied…? Now that you mention it, I don't think so. I've heard him lie, sure, but not to me."

Sitting on one of the empty desks, Yuei drew her knees up to her chest. "He told me that we were going to keep Kurapika with us, at least until the end of the auction, for safety precautions."

"And?" He turned back to the computer, typing with lightening fast fingers. She frowned, "He's never lied to me. Ever. But do you think…maybe he just wants him because he's a Kuruta…?"

"I don't see the problem with that." Shalnark waved a half-eaten sandwich at her. "After all, he looks an awful lot like her, don't you think?"

"That's the problem," She whispered, "Why lie about something so trivial? It's not like him."

_The little girl followed him to the kitchen, though the boy was much faster than her. By the time she got there, her mother had been reduced to a pile of gore. A scream threatened to rip itself from her throat, seeing the young boy stand there indifferently, quickly typing into the phone in his hand. _

_Done, he looked up and met her eyes. He seemed to be contemplating something and, deciding against it, turned and climbed out the window. _

_She would have run after him, but now there were voices coming from the bedroom. Grateful for having the excuse to look away, she stumbled down the hall and flung open the door to her parents' room. _

_Barely getting a glimpse of the intruders, a green-haired man appeared behind her and quickly snatched up her arms. The other man raised what would have been an eyebrow, if he had not been lacking the facial hair, and paused in digging through the closet. "It's just a kid, Fei." _

_The smaller man remained silent, looking expectantly down at her. Her lips trembled, feeling pain shoot up and down her arms, but she refused to give into the urge to cry. "Who are you?" She hiccupped, legs trembling like jelly. _

"_Feitan," The man repeated, "It's just a kid." Reluctantly, Feitan released her arms and she stumbled away from him. As she did, the jewel fell from her pocket, catching their attention. _

_Quickly, she scooped it back into her hands before the two men were upon her again. The eyebrow-less man reached for her, and she held her ground, clutching her father's gem to her chest. _

_Just then, a bell rang, indicating the opening of the house door. Her father was home! _

"_Daddy!" She yelled, slipping past the intruders. With all the might in her small legs, the girl ran to the door, where she saw the widening in her father's violet eyes. "L-Luna!"_

_The word had barely left his mouth when another man darted past him, snapping his neck before anyone could react. This man also had black hair, though shorter than the boy's, and deep black eyes. A cross adorned his forehead, standing out from the teenager's pale skin. _

_Luna felt tears well up behind her eyes, but still she refused to cry. Not to the death of her mother, not to the death of her beloved father. Not to the approaching man. _

_She held the purple gem from his grasp, eyes determined and mind set. "Who are you?" She repeated her earlier question, singed black hair curling around her elbows. Amused, the teen crouched down, ignoring the two behind her. _

"_You are of the Tsuki family, correct?" _

"_I asked you first." She answered stubbornly. Curiously, he tilted his head, "True. My name is Kuroro. Your turn." _

"_I am a Tsuki." Luna replied evenly, catching the quick flash of his eyes towards the jewel in her hands. "Why do you want Daddy's gem?" With a much amused chuckle, Kuroro held out a hand. "Yes, I am after the Tsuki's jewel, but I'm afraid you are mistaking in which one."_

"_Wha-"_

_The young man tsked, shaking his finger in a scolding manner as he placed it on her lips. "It's my turn. Are you injured?"_

"_No." She frowned suspiciously, pocketing the purple stone. "When are you leaving?"_

"_As soon as I have that gem." He held out a hand again. "Would you like a new home?" _

_Luna's eyes wandered to her father's corpse, then to the teen in front of her. Holding her chin high, she clenched her hands into fists. "Luna Tsuki could never accept such an offer."_

"_Luna Tsuki is just a name." He smiled. She caught the gleam in his eyes when he did so, and warily eyed the outstretched hand. Luna thought back to the teasing kids at school, to the disapproving teachers and neighbors. "My turn. Could you offer a new life?"_

"_Would Luna Tsuki like a new life?"_

_She placed her hand in his, eyes lowering to the ground. "No. But I would."_

"Done." Shalnark sang, happily brandishing the CD. "So, still wanna bet on whether or not Machi left without us?"

"I'm not in the mood." Yuei muttered, hopping off the table and quickly making her way to the stairs. Shrugging, he followed after her. "I still think she left…"

When they finally exited the building, the blue-haired woman had indeed gone on without them. After walking a block, they found her watching people ice skating across a frozen pond.

"Machi." The brown-haired youth called, his usual smile plastered to his face. "So you did wait after all! You do care!"

"Danchou's orders." She growled, "I'd rather you have fallen out the window."

"Jeez, you make the snow seem like hot chocolate next to your coldness."

Yuei stuffed her hands in her pockets, fingering the jewel necklace she found there. Yes, she was glad they had found Kurapika. If not, she might never have gotten it back. She was no longer Luna Tsuki, but she was still her father's daughter. She could not lose the Tsuki pride.

Even if Aniki had given her a new name, a new lifestyle, had cut her hair and clothed her and taught her how to survive. She could not lose the Tsuki pride.

The bedtime story floating across her consciousness, the one she had told the blond back at the carnival. Her mother had not told it to her, no. Nor had her father. She had heard it from an old woman, one she visited every year at that same carnival.

That was one of her favorite stories. Why? Because Sister Rabbit gets what she deserved.

She clenched her teeth together, watching the skaters fall and laugh. _Don't let Sensei become your human, Kurapika. Because I'd still support Aniki, and I don't want to doubt that decision. _

TBC…

Yuuki: I fell asleep writing (I'm only writing late at night now *sob*) and when I woke up I started writing this twisted rape scene of Kuroro and Pika-tan and then I stop in the middle of it and I'm like…WTF! WHERE IN HELL DID THAT COME FROM? So then I backspace real quickly…and then bring it back, copy and paste it to another file, and delete it from SR…

Leorio: …so you still have it, is what you're saying…

Yuuki: …maybe…

Kuroro: It's not rape if you enjoy it

Kurapika: SPIDERBLARGFUWAFFU! *whacks Kuroro with fly swatter*

Killua: this is why there's a NO SPIDERS ALLOWED sign on the door

Kuroro: Hisoka ate it

Hisoka: Kuhfufu~

Gon: APPLEMOLESTERBLARGUWAFFU! *whacks Hisoka with Elmo doll*

Illumi: …review…

Everyone: *looks at Killua expectantly*

Killua: …no -_- just no

Yuuki: because you're to cool to say BLARGFUWAFFU!


	28. Insanity

_I wanted you to know…that I love the way you laugh. I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away _– Broken by Seether ft. Amy Lee of Evanescence

Chapter 28: Insanity

Someone was watching us.

I spun in a slow circle, as if admiring our surroundings. The ship wasn't crowded, per say, but it certainly did have quite the number of passengers.

"Gon." I leaned against the side railing, where he was seated. He nodded, smiling out at the waves. So he felt it, too.

The class trip for winter break, it was an optional field trip. Not to mention pricey. Though it had originally been destined to take place on a nearby island, it was amazingly simple to hack into the school system.

We were on our way to Yorkshiin.

"Do you think we'll see him?" Gon asked, looking down at me. I blinked, momentarily distracted from the eyes staring at the back of my head. "Him? Oh, you mean Kurapika."

Now it was his turn to blink. "What? I meant Santa Claus!"

"Gon!"

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?"

"Because you're AN IDIOT!"

"EH? But I wanna see Santa!"

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING!"

My face began burning as he fell back onto the deck, holding his sides and laughing. "W-what's so funny?" I demanded, cursing myself for stuttering.

"Nothing~" He sang, grinning. I glared at him in embarrassment, to which Gon just laughed.

XXX ~POV~

"We're back!" Yuei kicked off her shoes, leaving her two companions as she hurried to the bedroom of the suite. "Pika-chan, I thought you'd be hungry so I got-…you…"

She frowned upon entering the room, finding it empty. The bed was made, but the blond's bag was still sitting on the desk. With narrowed eyes, she observed Saki snacking on a butterfly in the corner for a moment before exiting the room.

"Aniki! Where's Kurapika?" She peeked into each room, finding each the same. Backtracking to the door, she sorted through the coats and shoes, finding them all there. Except for her Aniki's boots.

Cheeks puffed out like a pouting child, Yuei went to the main room. "Guys, did you see where Aniki ran off to?"

"Who's Aniki?" Red-rimmed glasses looked up from a book as she poked her head inside. Yuei sighed, "Nobody, Shizuku. Where's Danchou?" After seconds of silence ticked by, she added, "Danchou. As in, Kuroro. Kuroro Lucifer."

Shizuku tilted her head to the side. Looking heavenward with an exasperated groan, Yuei muttered. "Don't tell me you've forgotten who he is…Can somebody just answer my question?"

"I know who Danchou is." The girl mumbled, burying her nose in her book. "You never asked a question…that's all."

"How should we know where he is?" Phinx raised an eyebrow-less eyebrow. "We don't stalk Danchou, you know. Unlike some people…"

"I do not stalk him!" Yuei growled, stomping from the room. Shizuku blinked, "Why's she so angry?"

"Must be that time of the month." The man concluded. He did not expect the girl in question to march back into the room just to whack him over the head with a bagged lunch.

Veins pulsing across her forehead, Yuei searched again throughout the entire suite, then the lobby, before returning to the room. Saki had, by then, finished eating and was sitting contentedly on her web.

"Where _are_ they?" She chewed on a fingernail, examining the room for any evidence. But it was exactly as it had been before she had left that morning. Minus the occupants, of course.

Turning around, she was just about to resume her search when she collided with a familiar person.

"Aniki!" Yuei gaped, taking in the scene before her. Usually very pale, Kuroro's cheeks were slightly flustered due to being out in the cold for so long. Water dripped from his clothes and snow dotted his hair. Not only that, but there was a certain shivering blond in his arms. Blinking rapidly, she stepped back as he made his way into the room. "Aniki!" She repeated.

"Yes?" Ever so gently, he placed the Kuruta into the bed and pulled the covers over him. To which the poor girl's jaw dropped further. Never, ever, ever, _ever_, had she seen him do _anything _so gently. Now, he was treating Kurapika as if he were some delicate piece of art?

"Y-y-y-you…you're wet!" In her shock and bewilderment, Yuei flailed her arms as she stated the very much obvious. She could almost hear the sarcastic, classic-Killua retort of _no, really? I hadn't noticed! Congratulations, Sherlock! _

Carefully sweeping soaked strands of hair from Kurapika's forehead, he turned to regard her directly for the first time since arriving back. "It's snowing outside."

"I can _see that_." She motioned towards the floor-to-ceiling windows across the room. "What did you _do_?"

"Your friend wanted some fresh air."

"So you _let him out_? In the _snow_?" Sputtering in disbelief, Yuei attempted to keep her mouth from falling open again. "You yourself said he should stay in bed! Are you insane?"

The black-haired man almost sighed as she marched closer.

XXX

It had been an hour – an _hour_ – of nonstop screaming from the room next door. And then, suddenly, without warning, it had stopped. And now, an unsettling feeling had begun as the source of the racket entered the main room.

Machi watched the girl saunter over to the cabinet and pull out a box of hot chocolate powder. A grin was plastered on her face and her violet eyes were now gleaming with happiness.

As she passed, the blue-haired woman asked casually. "What was the noise about?" She wasn't normally the one to ask the questions, to be curious. But it had been anything but normal these past few days.

"Oh, that's simple." Yuei grinned. "Aniki asked me what I wanted so I asked him to lie to me. Just to see if there was any difference, you know? So then he told me he loved me. More than that Kuruta girl from a few years ago. You want some hot chocolate?"

XXX ~Killua's POV~

"Killua," Gon whined, "I'm bored."

"Go fish or something." I muttered distractedly, trying to hone in on the watching eyes. He pouted, "But Mito-san didn't let me bring my fishing rod."

"Tough luck."

"How mean." He mumbled, poking the ground. Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, I raised an eyebrow. "Gon." He nodded, continuing to poke the wooden floor. I was right, then, he couldn't find the source either.

XXX ~POV~

"Do you remember what that old hag said?"

Shalnark inwardly sighed, realizing he would be brought away from his work once again. With a quirked eyebrow, he looked up at the intimidating woman beside him. "Which one?"

"At that stupid Whale Island circus." Machi crossed her arms. "The superstitious old witch with the weird shop."

"Oh, that one." He leaned his elbows against the desk and stretched his legs out in front of him. "Yeah. She rambled about spirits and stuff. Like how there are ghosts and some can possess people or animals."

"Would you consider Danchou a superstitious person?"

"Whoa, whoa." Shalnark spun his chair to face her fully. "Since when did you care to pry into Danchou's beliefs?"

Ignoring this, she leaned back against a wall. "I've never talked to the kid much, but Yuei's been closer to Danchou than most of us. You could tell just by looking at her, she's suspicious of Danchou's interest in the Kuruta. I mean, she traded her memories to him, after all."

"I have two…no, three things to say." The smile vanished from his face. "I don't see why you would tell _me_, of all people, this. I also don't get how your two questions connect. And I think it's obvious why Danchou's paying so much attention to the Kuruta kid."

Narrowing her eyes, Machi frowned deeper. "If I told Nobu, Ubo, Phinx, or Feitan, it'd be like telling a wall. Shizuku wouldn't remember three seconds later and Paku would go straight to Danchou. Coltopi and Bonolenov wouldn't care. I don't trust Kalluto."

"I'm sorry." Shalnark leaned back, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm just so used to the silent or two-worded answers from you. These lengthy sentences are melting my brain."

"Yes, yes, we all remember the Kuruta woman incident." She ignored his comment, continuing with a bitter smirk. "Even if most choose to not mention it. But it's specifically because of the Kuruta that I'm suspicious. Danchou spent too much time on Whale Island visiting that old witch."

Eyes widening for a millisecond, the sandy-haired man got to his feet. "You don't mean…"

_Finally, we're getting somewhere_. She nodded, pushing away from the wall to exit the room.

XXX ~Killua's POV~

My face hardened into an unreadable mask as he approached.

Hisoka raised a hand in a quick wave as he got closer, lips twisted in a self-assured smirk. But no, he wasn't the one who had been watching us all day. Even now, I could still feel eyes burning into my skull.

"Gon." I muttered, tapping his hand as we slowly progressed towards the food tables. He smiled as we passed Hisoka, and the demented magician snickered behind a fan of cards. I wasn't completely sure why, but a bead of nervous sweat ran down my back as we went by. Whatever the clown was planning, I wouldn't like it.

"-you like?"

I jumped, cursed myself for doing so, and turned to face Gon with a nervous smile. "Huh?" He tilted his head innocently towards the food. "I asked what you would like."

"LADIESANDGENTLEMAN!"

Jumping at least five feet higher than last time, I spun in the direction of the booming voice. A man stood on a small platform, microphone held too close to his lips. "IT'S TIME TO PASS THE TIME! LET'S DANCE!"

Multiple groans (one of which belonged to me) along with amused giggles rose from across the room. The teachers began scolding anyone who decided to slink away, forcing them to dance with said educators and, deciding I did not want to dance with the large boulder-of-a-man approaching, I dragged Gon from the cake table. Met with a disappointed whine, I stood awkwardly with the rest of the student body as a song began to play.

Please don't be a slow song, please don't be a slow song…

Then an even scarier thought.

Please don't be a romantic song, please don't be a romantic song!

It was times like these that I wish we had female friends.

"Killua, I want cake!" Gon complained, completely unaware of my inner conflicts. I sighed. "We have to dance, Gon. We can get cake later." He blinked, watching a few dance partners weave their giggling way around us. With a shrug, he wrapped one arm around my waist and began imitating them.

"Gon!"

"What? You wanted to dance!"

"I don't _want_ to dance! And why am _I _the GIRL?"

Yes, I truly, deeply, honestly wished we had female friends.

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

"So, what's your name?"

"Kuroro."

"Kuroro." I repeated, tasting the familiarity on my tongue as my head rested against his shoulder. "Kuroro…" I watched as he played with my hand, slowly interlacing our fingers together.

Though I was speaking, breathing, it was as if my actions were controlled from some other source than my brain. And it was slowly becoming harder to think straight as I fought to keep my mind in check.

I had been told I had passed out last night after hallucinating due to some sort of drugs the auctioneers had given me, but I couldn't recall being fed anything too strange. While I had been awake, at least.

A headache began building against my head and I winced, sinking further against the warm body beside me. There was something I should be remembering, something I was supposed to do. What was it? Something important…

The spider was still in the corner of the room, watching with beady eyes as we lounged back on the hotel bed. Saki clicked her legs together, turning away. I blinked, turning to face Kuroro, "Where's Yu-"

"Let's not talk." He smiled, running a hand up and down my arm. Any argument died on my lips as my eyes narrowed. I remained silent and watched, again, as he slipped a finger underneath the bracelet on my wrist.

Eyes widening, I almost gaped as this man easily removed the skin-tight bracelet that had been nearly impossible to remove only moments before. The skin underneath, I could see, was slightly lighter than the rest of my arm. "How did you-"

"You ask a lot of questions." He chuckled, lips brushing my ear. I shivered, uneasily pushing away from him. "We're still wet from the snow, I should take a shower…" Before he could open his mouth, I had already power walked over to the bathroom and locked the door with a slam.

Blood pounding in my ears, I looked around before pushing a chair and small cabinet in front of the door. Half-convinced it would keep any lock-pickers out, I left the water running as I threw a towel over the rack. Slipping off my shirt, I realized there was no soap.

Sighing, I leaned against the sink counter. I frowned, leaning closer to the mirror. Feet nearly slipping out from beneath me, I gasped as I backed away from it.

Crimson, blood-shot eyes stared back at me, glowing eerily in the fogging room. They stood out from my blond hair and pale skin. But the scarlet eyes stood out even more from the black, 12-legged spider tattoo printed across the side of my stomach.

The headache came back with a vengeance, threatening to make me lose consciousness altogether. And then I laughed.

TBC…

Yuuki: pfft…he laughed…u crazy, man! CRAZY!

Kurapika: you wrote it

Yuuki: *cries* I'm so used to Killua answering me

Kurapika: well, I'm sorry for not being Killua *sweat drop*

Killua: *walks into room* 'sup

Gon: KILLUA! *glomps*

Killua: WTF!

Yuuki: it was hug an Asian day…again…for the fifth time this week o.o

Leorio: I'M ASIAN DEN ARU!

*crickets*

Leorio: *sulks in corner* where's da love, where's da love…?

Kaida: bark bark! *puppy face* review pwease!

Killua: …did she just bark? –A–


	29. Siblings

_Don't leave me alone. I'm falling in the black, slipping through the cracks, falling to the depths. Can I ever go back? Dreaming of the way it used to be…Can you hear me? _– Falling inside the black by The Skillet

Chapter 29: Siblings

"Shal~" Yuei sang, coming up behind him and hugging his neck. "Whatcha doin'?"

Shalnark quickly exited out from the screen, blinking innocently. "Nothing." To this she raised an eyebrow, pouting, and brought the page back up. "Maybe it's just me, but that doesn't look like nothing."

She had barely scanned through the first lines when a laugh filled the halls. Jumping back, she ran out the door and down the hall.

"What's going on?" Yuei asked, warily poking her head in the doorway. She eyed the closed bathroom door, the indifferent expression on Kuroro's face. He smiled slightly, gesturing towards the said door. "I suppose he found the spider."

"We should have told him." She whispered, eyes softening. "It's not right to keep things like that from him." Gently playing with the jewel in her pocket, the girl walked towards the bathroom and leaned against the door. "Kurapika…it's me, Yuei. Can I come in?"

The laughing steadily quieted until it was completely silent. The sound of water changed as the blond stepped underneath it, no longer the pitter patter of hitting the tile floor.

Frowning, she turned back to look at Kuroro. "Aniki, what are you doing here anyways…?"

"I was keeping your friend company." He replied easily, raising the girl's suspicions. Tilting her head, Yuei walked over to him. "Oh, really?" He nodded, still smiling as her frown deepened.

"Ne, Aniki…" She began uneasily, "You do know…that Kurapika isn't…_her_."

Finally, the smile vanished from his lips as Kuroro's eyes narrowed. "What are you implying?"

Gulping, Yuei averted her eyes and bit on her lip. Should she voice her concerns out loud? It could be that she was wrong, after all. Perhaps her Aniki simply _did _wish to keep the blond company. There was nothing wrong with that.

Then again, since when did Kuroro do anything _simply _for another's sake?

Did they raid auctions _simply _to help people? No, no they did not. And to even consider that they did was rather foolish of her.

_What is important is not the individual_.

"Killu-…a friend…called…" Yuei muttered, finding interest in curling and uncurling her toes. Kuroro tilted his head to the side, "Friend?"

"He said that they're coming here; to Yorkshiin. I want to send Kurapika back home with them." She glanced up. "But they won't be here for another day. Until then, I want him to stay in a different room. Scratch that. I want him to stay in a different hotel. No Spiders allowed."

She was sure – positive, even – that the rare flicker in his dark eyes was _not _a good thing.

XXX ~Killua's POV~

There is a line that you must never _ever _cross. And if you do…well, let's just say you won't like what you find on the other side.

Such a line had nearly been crossed tonight. So as I fought the urge to scream into a pillow, I tried not to recall the feeling of tilting over that line. But of course, Gon was never much help in these types of situations.

"Killua, why'd you suddenly run off like that?" He obliviously questioned, a pout making its way onto his mouth. My eye began twitching spasmodically and so I lowered my head to hide it. "You left me there, idiot."

"But I thought I saw Sensei and everyone was switching partners." Gon flailed his arms desperately.

"You handed me off to HISOKA!" I threw the pillow at him. "I was practically raped in so many ways, I say! Raped! He…" I shuddered, "…licked…my…hand…I have to burn my arm now."

Throwing the pillow back at me, the boy launched himself in a tirade of words whilst pacing a trench into the floor. "Hanashi-sensei hasn't been himself for days and then he wants to go to Yorkshiin but can't so I was wondering why and I know Kurapika's there, right? 'Cause that's what Yuei said but she never told Sensei, right? I mean, I wanna see Santa Claus real bad but it would be nice to see him because I miss him and all that and I hope he's okay but Sensei must be a gazzilion times _more worried_. He lived with him after all so he must be really lonely being all alone because I know that if you ever left I would be really, really, really, really sad. But if you ever left like that I'd probably chase you down so don't you ever leave, got that? Never leave. Never ever, ever, ever…"

I had all but fallen asleep by the time the tears began welling up behind his eyes. Launching himself at me, Gon buried his face in my shirt. Taken aback, I raised my arms and stared at him in shock. "Gon?"

In response, the sleeping kid began to snore. Forgetting about the earlier disaster, I sweat dropped.

And though I may have admitted to forgiving him, I will never _ever_ admit to the small smile on my face.

So don't even try to get it out of me…Crap, I'm going insane.

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

Two hours. For two hours I had been sitting there, under the spray of the shower head, staring at my wrinkling hands and listening to the voices coming from the room.

I had no intention of getting up. The steam filling the bathroom couldn't chase me from my position, nor could the scorching water on my back.

My knees were drawn to my chest and strands of hair fell across my eyes. But I couldn't bring myself to move my arms, to use my fingers to move those strands away. I couldn't help but wonder if my eyes were still red, if it was possible that they were permanently deprived of their usual blue color.

"_Je t'aime, je t'aime…mon Le-…" _I sang softly, voice raspy from not speaking for so long. Chocking on the last word, yet again, I lowered my forehead to my knees. It was strange that the song had suddenly chosen to resurface at this moment. I hadn't thought about it for ages; it was a miracle I hadn't forgotten it completely by now.

Of course, the tune brought along memories.

"_Woaaah…" An amazed smile spread across a young face. "Onee-chan, you make such pretty songs!" Older by a few years, the blonde girl grinned proudly, "Of course! They've got to be pretty if I wanna sing them to _him_." She giggled, patting the child affectionately. _

"_Listen, little brother, you can't tell anyone about these songs. They're our little secrets, okay? Just you, me, and _mon _Danchou_."

_He giggled as well, holding onto her hand. "That's a funny name. When may I meet him?" Smiling, she shrugged. "We've got to get older so that Mother, Father, and Uncle will approve. I doubt my Lucifer will have any interest in meeting a little kid like _you_, though. You wouldn't like a Spider anyways." _

"I want…different hotel…no Spiders allowed."

Yuei's voice drifted into the room, earning a microscopic part of my attention. My gaze drifted towards the door, where I could hear her speaking with Kuroro.

Spider? She must mean Saki. It wouldn't be that much of a surprise if she had gotten herself into trouble for carrying a pet around the city.

The bit of attention she had managed to claim dissolved as I shifted my focus onto my hands. "_Je t'aime…mon Leo-…" _The words died on my lips again, and for the first time I realized what I had been trying to say.

Eyebrows knitting together, I raised my head and stared at the door. Confused, I tested the words on my tongue as I slowly came back to my senses.

"_Je t'aime…mon…_Leorio?"

My eyes landed on the spider tattoo on my stomach, I winced, and stood up. Turning off the water, I determinedly pulled back the shower curtain.

XXX ~POV~

"Aniki…?" Yuei's eyes widened as she took a step back. Never had she been afraid of him, never had she had the impulse – the need – to run from Kuroro. And he had yet to even move.

She didn't know if she had been afraid of him when they had first met. Their first encounter was the first of her memories, though it had blurred with time. Before that, she knew nothing of what life had been like. In exchange for the offered new life, giving up some bad memories had seemed like nothing. All Yuei knew was her old name and the fact that this jewel had been very important to her father.

_I can't lose the Tsuki pride_. She reminded herself. However, she had already given up half of it. It was only right to correct her mistake, was it not?

"She's dead." Yuei clenched her hands into fists. "Danchou…do you think she'll appreciate it if you use her little brother anyway?"

"_Do you hate him?" Large, violet eyes sparkled curiously. The Kuruta woman knew what was fast approaching her, but still she refused to budge. _

"_Don't misjudge Kuroro." She answered confidently, staring straight ahead unflinchingly. "I like to think of his situation akin to that of a spoiled child. So accustomed to receiving whatever they desire no matter who it may or may not affect that when met with an unrelenting will they will resort to the only method they know – violence. But still they are not at fault, for it was the child's surroundings that taught him to be spoiled." _

_The smaller girl frowned, young mind unable to grasp the Kuruta's words well. "…Hmm…whatever. You're gonna be dead anyway, lady. Aniki is mine."_

"She's dead." The girl repeated, holding her ground as he stood. "She's dead, she's dead, she's dead! Kurapika is not, I'm not, and you can't just switch their positions-"

"Danchou." The bathroom door opened, a thin cloud of steam accompanying the blond as he stepped out. "You called him 'Danchou' a few moments ago."

Seeing the life reenter the Kuruta's eyes, Yuei wasn't sure whether she should be relieved he was back to his normal self or if she should be worried.

"The song. Only the three of us knew about it." Kurapika reached into his pocket, pulling a purple gem from the borrowed clothing. "I remember now, why it had seemed so familiar."

He would probably have said something more, but then there were two certain black-haired people lunging for him and he didn't get a chance to.

XXX ~Killua's POV~

"Nice shirt."

A random passerby snickered, smirking down at me. I smiled my best innocent-as-a-Gon smile, "Nice face."

Smug grin vanishing into a frown, he continued down the hall. With a sigh, I made my way out onto the deck. To any of you who haven't had a said Gon fall asleep on your lap - he drools.

I'm talking major drool. Like one of those small, loud and obnoxious dogs that can't get it through their tiny drool-flooded brains that yapping 24/7 is not the answer to anything. Yes, _that_ kind of drool.

And so, my shirt now had a strangely-shaped blob on it. Drool stain. Ick.

At the moment Gon was fast asleep, attempting to make an ocean on my pillow, as I breathed in the salty air.

The tables were still out, as well as the little platform, though most of the students and other passengers had already retired for the night. Seeing as it was nearly 1 in the morning. But hey, I'm not complaining.

Leaning against the side of the ship, I stared down at the water, at the stars and constellations reflected there. The moon shone brightly today, in the cloudless midnight sky, although it was only half-full. A sudden, stronger gust of wind swept papers across the deck and sent a spray of ocean water to my face.

I turned away in order to keep from chocking on the spray, and was met with the scariest, most horrible sight I'd ever seen.

My brother.

TBC…

Yuuki: I ISH SORRY FOR LATE UPDATE ARU! ohoho~ NEXT CHAPTER SHALL BE A LONG ONE! I plan on wrapping this Surreal baby up real soon… *falls asleep*

Killua: … *pokes*

Yuuki: *wakes up* AHHH DUNEATME! *looks around* I mean…uh…Anyways, it sucks only being able to write at night D: that's why the writing is more suck-ish that usual...Then waking up early and missing the bus half the time AND THIS STORY IS LEOPIKA! Just wanted to clear that up o.O Besides that, what would you guys think if Yuei died?

Yuei: *blink blink* I would be so saddened I'd eat so many marshmallows and get fat and-

Killua: you'd be dead, it doesn't matter!

Yuei: .A. It matters to me...

Gon: Review! =3 They make yummy cupcakes


	30. Dream Child

_You tell me I'm frozen…But what can I do? I can't tell you the reasons…Because I did it for you. Lies turned into truth and I sacrificed for you _– Frozen by Within Temptation

Author's Note: I've run out of songs (Fine, maybe I'm just lazy :P) and I've been listening to this song a lot; it helps me. Especially the music video…Anyways, since I haven't gotten to see her since she reviewed, GonABC123, you can't eat me D: then who would provide you the daily Hisoka-in-wedding-dresses drawings?

Chapter 30: Dream Child

As soon as she had wrestled the jewel from my hands, Yuei held the purple stone high above her head. I watched from my place on the floor as the determination swam in her violet eyes.

And then, as hard as she could, she threw it at the ground. The gem shattered into millions of little pieces, flying across the room as I covered my face with my arm.

When at last all of it had fallen to the ground, I peeked out from my corner. Yuei kneeled on the floor, in front of the small chain that clung to a single, tiny, piece of the gem. She stared blankly at it, completely still, eyes wide. Then the trembling began.

It started in her hands, then, slowly, took over her body to her legs. Finally, she looked up with tear-stained cheeks. Kuroro stared darkly at her, "Why are you crying?"

"Because…" Yuei smiled bitterly. "My new life – the one you offered – in exchange for some bad memories. And in the end…my past wasn't so bad."

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out another crystal. Grasping it tightly in shaking hands, she held it out. "And this one? It holds someone's memories, doesn't it? Someone important to the person who sealed those memories. Did you love her? Love as in _irrational _and to the point of becoming a _spoiled child_."

As I achingly dragged myself to my feet, so did she. Walking forward, Yuei kept her eyes on the window behind me. "That person…it's the Kuruta woman, isn't it? Yumeko Kuruta."

Her arm swung back and then the necklace was hurtled at the window, breaking through the glass and plummeting to the streets below, into the night. I reached for it as it passed me, my fingers grazing the cold chain, and stared at the reflection in the violet gem.

Kuroro whizzed by, a black shadow across my palm, and out the window. I stared in shock, racing to the edge of the shattered floor-to-ceiling windows to watch as he safely landed on a lower roof. People looked up, quickly rushing away as shards of glass rained down upon them.

"C'mon!" Yuei grabbed my arm, leading me from the room in a rush. "We gotta get out of here fast," – she took a moment to snatch up my bag and toss it at me – "before someone- Shalnark!" She gasped as we barely avoided a head on collision with the sandy-haired man.

"There's a taxi waiting at the corner." He said with a grin. "But you didn't hear that from me, right?"

"Thanks, Shal." Yuei breathed in relief, continuing down the hall. She stopped a few paces away, turning her head, "Kurapika, are you coming or what?"

I frowned, tilting my head at the young man. Shalnark shrugged, waving a dismissive hand with a wink before resuming his walk past us whilst whistling a tune.

"Ku-ra-pi-ka!" She hissed, stomping her foot. Sparing another glance over my shoulder, I followed after her. Taking my hand again, Yuei pulled me towards the elevator.

"Shouldn't we take the stairs?" I questioned as the door closed and we began our descent down. She grinned sheepishly, hopping from foot to foot like a child in need of the bathroom. "I might've gotten a bit bored and messed with the elevator system. Don't give me that look! Blame Shizuku for forgetting to bring the card deck, as per usual."

Halfway between two floors, she hit a button and quickly jumped onto my back. I swayed to the side, nearly losing my footing under her weight. "Higher, higher! I'm too short to reach." Yuei ordered, reaching up and I tried to keep myself balanced on my tip toes.

"Got it!" She called, and her weight disappeared as she climbed onto the roof of the elevator. Reaching up, I grabbed her hand as she helped me hoist myself up.

Sitting in the dark elevator shaft, I looked around as she felt along the walls. We should have brought a flashlight.

I shook my head roughly, annoyed with myself. Those drugs from the auctioneers sure did last long. Acting completely normal in a situation like this…Really, what was wrong with me?

Startled, I looked towards Yuei. Then again, what was wrong with _her_? Saying crazy things, throwing a necklace out the window – one she claimed _special_ – and calling it _Yumeko Kuruta_ as if it was really my sister.

Heh.

Weird.

Shaking my head yet again, and therefore reminding me of a wet puppy shaking its fur out, I grimaced. Where did my train of thought go anyway? It must have derailed…Or maybe the aliens ate the tracks…

"Aliens…" I muttered, spitting the word as if it was poison in my mouth. Yuei shot me a look, "Oi, now's not the time to start hallucinating again, got it? Think of it like holding in pee. Keep the pee alive inside you, okay?"

And I thought _I_ was weird.

I nodded, determined to follow her directions nonetheless. To my (apparently) intoxicated mine, it made total sense.

"Here it is!" She announced as the sound of sliding metal reached my ears. Her hand grabbed mine again and I was pushed towards an opening in the wall. "I'll go in first so stay right behind me. Hold onto my foot if you need to, but whatever you do, do _not_ let us get separated."

I nodded again, like a bobble head, as she crawled into the opening. I climbed in after her, pushing my bag ahead of me in the tight, dark space. Hardly able to see her moving figure in front of me, a sudden thought entered my mind and I was then glad for the darkness.

If I recalled correctly, Yuei Tsukikumo had been wearing a skirt today.

Shaking my head _again_, and banging it hard against the side of the vent, I tried banishing such thoughts from my mind. What improper thinking, duckling!

…

Maybe I _was_ crazy.

XXX ~Killua's POV~

"Due to clear skies and good weather, we're to be docking in a few hours ahead of schedule!" An attendant's voice boomed throughout the ship's speakers. "Thank you for waiting patiently! Please collect your things and meet in your assigned groups! Thank you!"

After a second of static, it went quiet again.

The light spray of ocean water was tossing itself at my back, dampening my shirt. I stared, with my best poker face, at the figure before me.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, face impassive. I nervously gulped, trying to hide it from him. "I would ask the same of you, Kalluto."

"I'm not here to fetch you." Kalluto's frown deepened. "That's Illumi-nii-san's task."

"And I'm not here to kill you." I stuffed my twitching hands into my pockets, a classic smirk on my lips to hide my surprise. "Yet."

"Mother is very upset with you." He continued, ignoring my threat, "She's even allowed the butlers to come looking for you." I laughed, sliding one foot back in a ready-to-fight stance. "The _butlers_? She's _that_ desperate to get me back, huh?" The crisp night air froze in my throat, hanging around us.

"I won't fight you, you know."

"_Never fight someone you know you can't win against_, is that it?"

"I won't fight you because I'm not getting paid." Holding his head high, Kalluto arrogantly strode from the deck. A vein pulsing on my forehead, I fought back a pout. "You're saying I'm not worth your time. How cruel, little brother."

Another spray of water flew past my face, and he was gone.

"Killua!"

I looked up as Gon raced out from inside, pushing a cart of our bags in front of him. "We've docked! We gotta go!" Nodding with a grim smile on my face, I was about to run after him when the phone in my pocket vibrated. Blinking, I flipped it open and held it to my ear.

"Hey, could you do me a favor?" A familiar voice quipped as my eyes widened. It was…the man who got Kaida from Ojii-san and the blond thing. The fake police officer. My eyes narrowed as I recalled the name Yuei called him.

"Shalnark?"

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

As we continued through the hotel's ventilation, we came across small spaces where light squeezed through small cracks and slits. And further on, my eyes began adjusting to the darkness and I was able to pick out little details.

Yuei stopped suddenly and, if it weren't for my bag in front of me, I would have run into her. She peeked back at me, eyebrows creased with worry. "Ne, Kurapika, are you okay?"

"Yeah." I tried smiling encouragingly, but ended up in a coughing fit. Darn dust…

The small, round, puffballs on her brown boots stirred up another cloud of dust as she moved, and I shut my eyes as the white fabric of her skirt swished with her movements. Yuei awkwardly managed to turn around, now facing me as I reopened my eyes. She pulled a hair clip, her longer black hair falling across her shoulders as she did so, and began prying at the metallic square between us.

Eventually, it gave way and she managed to catch it before it clattered to the ground below us. Placing the square to the side, Yuei carefully slid her head into the hole and glanced around from her up-side-down view. Pulling back up, she grinned at me. "Okay, we're almost out. We have to jump down and this is the perfect room to do it. Be as quiet as you can and try to land on the carpet, then hide behind the desk and wait for me, okay?"

I nodded, wondering how many times I had done so in the past hour. Carefully, I wormed myself forward and grabbed hold of the edge on the other side of the hole. Holding my breath, I slipped down head-first and kept hold of the edge as the rest of my body got through.

Arms staining, I slowly let go and landed in a crouch on the carpet floor. A small thud at the impact, and I quickly scurried towards the desk.

Sitting, I realized I was barefoot.

Sigh.

Was I always this slow?

"Hey." Yuei was already beside me, pointing towards the door. "Through the door, act normal and get outside. Put these on first." She pulled on my bag, digging through it until she pulled out my shoes.

I stared at them before slipping them onto my feet. They weren't monsters in disguise, were they? Would they eat my feet once I stood up?

Glaring at the footwear, I blindly followed Yuei out into the lobby. Once there, we casually exited the building. And then we were outside in the night, and I started shivering.

"I-it's cold!" Yuei wrapped her arms around herself, teeth chattering. "Dammit, it's supposed to snow later! I completely forgot to grab a coat!"

"It took you long enough to get here."

She jumped, latching onto my arm. "M-Machi! What is it with you guys scaring me?" A woman with blue hair and golden, calculating eyes held up two sweaters. "The stairs would have been faster."

"M-M-Machi…!" Rivers of tears streamed down Yuei's chibi face as she held her arms out, quickly enveloping Machi in a chibi bear hug. "H-Have I ever t-told you how much I-I love you?"

"No, and if you do I'll reconsider giving these to you." The woman shook the sweaters, tossing them at me. I caught them, barely, blinking in confusion. Who were these people?

"When I saw you I totally thought you were going to turn us in!" Yuei sniffed, rubbing her face against hers.

Prying the girl off her with a look of disgust, Machi turned and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm doing this for Danchou's sake. Even if it's going against his words, if it's best for Danchou then it's what I'll do." She turned her head slightly, and I tilted my head at the redness of the woman's ears.

"Get lost, brats. The taxi won't wait forever."

Recovering from her chibi attack, Yuei nodded and slipped on the black sweater. "Right! Thanks, Machi." With a quick wave, the girl barely gave me enough time to shove my arm into the blue and black sweater before we were once again racing down the sidewalk.

It was still cold, but the extra layer of clothing helped lessen it, even if just a little.

I took a last glance back, but the woman named Machi was gone. I frowned.

Why were these people so familiar?

"I see the taxi!" Yuei chirped, taking those last few steps and knocking on the window. Opening the door, we huddled inside as she yelled, "To the docks!"

The driver turned around, raising a hand to tip his hat up and reveal his face as well as a shock of white hair. "Eh? I don't get a hello?" The person in the passenger seat turned as well, grinning widely. "After this, let's go see Santa Claus!"

I grinned back, as did Yuei, because nobody could keep themselves from smiling when Gon's around.

The grin stayed on my face as the car started up, and it kept itself glued to my lips even as I tipped back, I think. And then I was faced with the dark world of unconsciousness as their startled calls faded.

XXX ~Killua's POV~

I sensed the hitch in his breath the second before he fell, turning in my seat as Gon jumped, "Kurapika!" Yuei called his name as well, shaking his shoulders as he fell across her lap.

Cursing under my breath, I spotted the figure in the rear view mirror and stepped on the gas pedal. "So, I meet this infamous 'Aniki' of yours at last."

"Don't go to the docks." She whispered, "Take us to the airport." With a muffled sigh, she leaned back against the seat. "Before it's too late, I wanna tell you guys what happened. But where to start…?"

"The beginning." I glanced at her in the mirror, lifting an eyebrow. Nodding, Yuei laced her hands together, making sure the bumps in the road wouldn't jostle the blond from his place.

"Yuei Tsukikumo is the name Aniki- Danchou- I mean…Kuroro gave me. My original name was Luna Tsuki, and my father was the last of the dying Tsuki Tribe. My mother…she was the usual deceiving housewife. She only hooked up with my dad for the money. That's what I think, at least. Perhaps she had once been a pleasant woman who fell into misled love. But either way, from my earliest memories I never fully trusted her.

"I went to school like any normal kid. But we lived in a place where everyone had dark-colored hair and dark-colored eyes along with slightly tanned skin like my mother. My black hair would have fit in if it weren't for the long curls. So I was teased a lot and the teachers, the neighbors, they treated me like an outsider. I thought it was my looks before, but now I realize that that wasn't the case at all.

"It was my father. They were…afraid? Maybe that's not the right word. But they didn't trust him because the rich men didn't usually live on that side of town.

"So one day the kids at school burned my hair. I walked home and caught my mother trying to steal my father's jewel. The one I always wore around my neck. Well, the one I wore was only half of it. Kuroro helped me cut it in half. But anyways, mother went to the kitchen and I took the gem and hid it in my pocket. Leaving that room, I bumped into this boy. He had shoulder-length black hair that was so straight it reminded me of the tight-strung strings of a harp. His eyes were black, deep and scary. Unnerving.

"Until an hour ago, I didn't know it but I had met him again last year. Aniki-…Kuroro and I had snuck into a mafia conference to get the auction dates and items earlier than Shal. That boy was there. He was older, his hair was longer. But his eyes were familiar. His name…what was it? Illumi."

She paused here, pointing out the direction to take. Sighing, Yuei cleared her throat and continued. "Well, back to the hallway. My mother screamed and the boy – Illumi – went to the kitchen where she was. When I got there she had already been killed, and when he left I ran towards my parents' room. Inside I found Phinx and Feitan, and they tried to take my father's gem from me. When I heard the bell ring and dad call out 'I'm home', I ran towards him. But I didn't make it, because Aniki had already killed him, too.

"We played this question game. It was childish, really, but I brought it along and I _was _a child. He offered me a new life, and my young self accepted. I guess to a little kid bullying is hard to take. And my whole family was just killed right in front of me… That's no excuse, I know.

"So I left with Aniki, and on the way 'home' he told me that there was still another price to the 'new life'. He said he needed the 'Tsuki jewel' so I gave him the gem. But he kept asking for this 'Tsuki jewel' again and again. I guess…he meant me.

"Well, technically he meant my memories. See, the gem was this sacred treasure in the Tsuki Tribe. Apparently it contained some special powers. But to make it work you needed memories of a young mind, of the Tsuki blood." Yuei shrugged, "I still don't know if I should believe all this superstitious crap, even with what I've seen."

I pulled the mirror down a bit to see her face. "I was right, wasn't I? You're involved with the Genei Ryodan." Nodding, the girl stared down at her feet.

"Kuroro had come after me because he was interested in the gem, that's all. I'm sure if it wasn't for the Kuruta woman he would've gotten rid of me already. Auctioned me off or maybe he would've just killed me.

"He cut my hair, gave me a new name, gave me new clothes and a new lifestyle. Then he took my memories and that was 'my new life'. A few years passed after I met him. He took me around the world on the Spider's journeys. He told me stories, about Ryuuseigai, whenever I asked him about the blank that was my past. In the back of my mind I was able to retain a few simple facts about my past life.

"I am Luna Tsuki and I cannot lose the Tsuki pride. That was all. I was referring to the violet jewels, one of which contained my own memories. I had spent maybe two or three years with Kuroro when we stumbled upon the Kuruta Clan.

"Like the Tsuki Tribe, the Kuruta's numbers were dwindling. It was made of only a dozen people and only five purebloods. There were only two pureblooded children. However, they were brother and sister. The Kuruta's blood line would end with them."

"So Kurapika's a Kuruta?" Gon guessed, holding a finger to his cheek. Yuei looked out the window, a frown appearing on her forehead as if she didn't like the words she was about to say. "The annihilation, the ruin, of the Kuruta Clan was, technically, my fault.

"Yumeko, that was Kurapika's sister, took up so much of Aniki's time. I was only…eight? Yeah, I think so. I got jealous as only a little kid would. I know that's still no excuse, but it's the truth. I made up a lie for Aniki. I told him that I found out that there were _six _purebloods left. And that there was a baby on the way, a new pureblood, and that it was a boy. And Yumeko was to marry that baby when he grew.

"I have no idea why he believed me. I really don't know why he acted the way he did. But then Danchou wanted the Kuruta woman to leave, to runaway. And she refused. Then he went and killed everyone. He burned down their Rukuso home, he got the Spiders and tortured every single one of them until finding the mother of the coming baby.

"I stayed with Yumeko throughout all this. She said things that I didn't understand at the time. And she still loved him? I didn't get it. Not then. So when I thought that she wouldn't run off even if she was left alone, I ran towards the Kuruta village. I got there just as Kuroro was finishing off that woman. The woman with the baby. It was horrible, I'm glad I didn't have to see the whole thing. The baby was there, a meaty lump, on the ground. It suffocated.

"The woman was in labor when he attacked. And he cut it out of her stomach, and left it in that protective sack, whatever it's called, to suffocate and die.

"Then he told the Spiders to take me and leave. That we were dismissed. He went into the forest where I suppose he got to Yumeko. I didn't see him again for a few months, but when I did I found that he always wore one half of the Tsuki stone around his neck. So I made them into necklaces.

"Have you guys ever gone to that yearly carnival on Whale Island? Have you gone into the old witch's tent? She sells gems and sparkly stones. She's really superstitious. One time Aniki came with me, and she taught us about souls and stuff. She told us about the extinct tribes with the jewels. I didn't know that she talked about the Tsuki Jewel until today.

"Apparently, after Kuroro got my memories into one half of the jewel, he could then put _anybody_'s memories into the other half. But memories…they can also be considered one's soul. Your memories are what make you who you are. Without them, you're just a shell.

"And you can transfer those memories, that soul, into another's body by replacing their memories with the ones in the jewel. But they have to be blood-related. That's why he wanted Kurapika…

"I don't completely understand why he wants her back now. Maybe he regrets killing her? I don't know. I can't read minds. But I know it's not right. I mean, it could just be my jealously that doesn't want Yumeko back. Who knows.

"Oh, there's another twist to it. See, he took Yumeko's memories, or her soul, whatever. But her body was still alive, just like I was still alive even after he took my memories, even if I was practically a completely different person. He killed her, of that I'm certain. But he didn't know that if you kill the body and part of the soul is trapped, the other part of the soul gets stuck here. In limbo, if you will."

A bead of sweat appeared on my neck as Gon gulped. He again turned shakily towards her. "You mean…Kurapika's sister is still…here?" Yuei nodded, meeting my eyes through the mirror. "The Kuruta's stick very close to their beliefs, to their morals. I'm sure she'll stick to the name she was given."

"And that is…?" I fought hard to keep my gaze steady. She took a deep breath, "Yumeko…Dream child."

"Dream Child?" Gon repeated. "Oh, I get it. In Japanese, yume is dream and ko is the suffix of a name as in child." My shoulders sagged, "Hey, I was about to say that. Can't I get the smart spotlight for once?"

"Guys." She sweat dropped. "Can't we be serious for once? Focus!"

"Hai…" We muttered as my eyes strayed to the road in front of me. Which reminds me, if the police stop us for speeding, I have no drivers permit.

Yuei pushed Kurapika to a sitting position and leaned his head against the window. "Has anybody had any dreams lately?"

"I had a dream the world was made of chocolate."

"I had a dream a rubber ducky ate all the leftover Shrimp and Mito-san yelled at me for throwing a sock at it."

"I had a dream…I smacked you both with a fly swatter for being morons!" She huffed, crossing her arms. "I meant something weird! Since that was the 'love' part of the crystal than it should have something to do with something or someone you really care about."

"I _do _care about chocolate. Especially when I can eat my own house."

"Oh…" Gon poked his lip, "Wait…I had a dream where Killua wouldn't look at me. So when he finally did it wasn't him, it was this blonde that looked a lot like Kurapika but she was wearing a white hat. And she said to 'take care' of her then I woke up."

…

Wait a sec.

"Gon!"

"Ow! Why'd ya hit me? That hurt!"

"She said the dream had to be about someone you _love_."

"But I DO love you! OW! Stop hitting me!"

Yuei snickered, leaning between the two front seats. "How did I not notice this before? See, we have the perfect group. Pika-chan and Sensei, Grumpy and Gon, and me and…OH SHIZ WHERE DID SAKI GO?"

I winced, covering one ear. "Are you seriously pairing yourself up with a spider? And by 'grumpy' you better not mean me."

"What? There's nobody left over so why not? And yes I meant you, Grumpy."

"There's Hisoka left."

"Gon!"

"OW! You too, Yuei? That really, really hurt!"

"I want you to know, Gon." I looked towards him as we stopped at the red-light. "That when you die of brain damage, I will personally arrange your funeral."

"EH? You guys are mean!"

"It's what friends are for, buddy."

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

_Because I lost everything…_

"Run!" Screaming, running, blood and fear.

…_how could I have known…_

An easy smile and a gently face. "Konichiwa."

"Ojii-san, it's morning."

…_that I could come to love someone that much again._

_I was sitting in the shade of a giant tree, apples grew from between the green leaves. Lush grass tickled my legs, poking at the skin that wasn't covered by the shorts I wore. Sighing happily, I closed my eyes against the warm sun and leaned back. _

_I had been expecting the rough bark of a tree, but instead my back touched the soft skin of the person behind me. _

_Blinking, I turned my head to look at them. Leorio grinned, "Hey."_

"_Hey yourself." I turned back, leaning my head contentedly against him. We stared up at the clear sky in silence. Then a face appeared in front of me._

"_Yo, princess." Killua smirked, hanging upside down from a branch. He jumped down and ran across the field as Gon jumped down after him. "Wait for me!" Yuei then appeared, from nowhere, right beside me. She leaned down and whispered into my ear, "Ne, Pika-tan, I'm gonna run around with the monkey boys, keep ourselves busy. You and Sensei, keep yourselves _busy_, though. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge."_

_She laughed, running after Gon and Killua before I could open my mouth to say something. A blush coating my cheeks, I pouted as they disappeared into the trees. We could still hear their laughter, meaning they weren't planning on going too far away._

"_You have a fever?" Leorio mocked, leaning his forehead on mine. My cheeks heated even more as I turned to face him completely. "You're the doctor, _you_ tell _me_."_

"_Hmm…" He stroked an invisible beard, "I think I'll have to get a full diagnosis on this, don't you think? We can't have _any_ room for mistakes, you know. A thorough examination is called for." _

_I blinked repeatedly, tilting my head to the side. "Huh?" He just smirked and leaned his face close to mine. "_I'm_ the doctor." _

_I gulped nervously as he edged closer._

XXX ~Killua's POV~

"We're almost there." I announced, seeing the airport appear in the distance. "Maybe another half-hour. Good thing we brought our bags with us. How are we gonna pay for four plane tickets anyways?"

"I'll take care of everything." Yuei answered confidently. "Hey, let me drive us the rest of the way. We're getting close and _I _have a license."

"Dog tags don't count."

She pouted, "Killua's mean. It may be forged, but it'll be better than saying you don't even have a permit. I can pass as 18!"

Rolling my eyes, I stopped the car at the side of the street and climbed into the back. I waited, with a yawn, as she got herself into the driver's seat. Finally, I sat down right before she pulled back onto the road.

The trip was alright and Yuei really wasn't that bad of a driver. It wasn't until we got to finding a parking space that we started getting problems.

"AH!" Gon yelled as we swerved around a group of people. He rolled down the window and shouted a, "SORRY!"

I regretted not putting on a seatbelt as I was juggled around the backseat. Trying to keep Kurapika from getting hurt/killed/thrown-out-the-window, I ended up bumping my head quite a few times.

"Yuei! Stop driving like a maniac!" I snapped at her just as the blond's head bumped into my jaw. _Ouch_.

Reflexively, I held onto the nearest thing in order to keep from flying out Gon's window myself. That 'something' happened to be Kurapika, so I held on to him as I silently prayed to whatever was out there that we didn't die.

Aside from that, how the heck could he be sleeping in such a situation?

"Pervert…"

Nearly jumping out my skin, I stared down at said sleeper. But the Kuruta was still fast asleep, lips parting. He mumbled, "What about Gon…and Yuei…and…Killua, pervert…"

I sweat dropped. Wait, was _I _the pervert? Or somebody else?

The mysteries of the blond's dream were swept from my mind as we nearly crashed into a whole row of cars.

"Killua!" Gon whined. "Why'd you agree to let her drive?"

"I plead momentary insanity."

"BWAHAHA! This is so much fun!"

"…Apple pie…isn't as good as an apple muffin…"

TBC…

Yuuki: *happy tears* I made…a long chapter…with over 5000 words and 10 pages on word and O M G!

Killua: … T_T

Yuuki: OK! So, I was working on the manga the other day and I'm on the chapter…with Yuei…and then I realized that I still haven't officially decided WHICH version of her (from my mind) I wanted to put as the OFFICIAL Yuei…so…

Gon: oh no

Kurapika: oh crap

Leorio: oh FU- *gets glared at* …oh DUCK!

Yuuki: I SHALLZ ASK YOU! _**Draw/doodle/do something with Yuei in it**_ and show it to me (you could even delete it after I see it) please so I can see what she looks like in YOUR mind…and then I'll add all of your versions with mine (cuz I seriously have drawn a million of different Yueis already) and get THE YUEI for da manga oh PLEASE! :D I'll think of a prize, I swearz it!

Hisoka: *eats a bowl of pasta* Review~ Or I'll eat you! kuhfufufu~


	31. Sunset

Author's Comments: Errr… this has been bugging me all week…To Aer () the anonymous reviewer (curse you anonymous reviewers! I LIKE replying *sob sob*) yes, you can still send in the Yuei pic ^-^' I only posted that the day before you reviewed lol and next time you try writing you e-mail here on FF (at least, I think that's what you did) type it like yukikittycatofwisdom(at)gmail(dot)com so it'll actually show up cuz it disappears... :D that's my actual e-mail btw ohoho~ Sankyuu~ but OMD (oh mai duck, get it, get it? HUH?) I has a RABID FAN? *throws Hisoka shaped confetti*

Chapter 31: Sunset

"Run, run, run!"

"Easy for you to say!" I snapped, trying to keep Kurapika from falling off my back as we ran through the airport. For those of you _sane_ people out there who have _not_ ran for your lives through an airport, it is a very difficult thing to do.

Especially when Gon has to apologize to _every single person there_.

"Gon, hurry up!" I yelled over my shoulder, wobbling through the crowd. He jumped up, flailing his arms, "Ah, Killua! I can't get through!" Rolling my eyes, I stopped running and waited for him to catch up before sprinting again.

Yuei held open a door and we shuffled into the lavish, expensive, private area reserved for the super rich. She confidently strode towards the desk, slamming down a few dozen 100 dollar bills. She leaned closer to the lady behind the counter. "Listen up; you keep the change if you get us the Spidey Mobile pronto." She eyed the money before quickly typing into her computer. Producing tickets out from nowhere, she exchanged them for the money with a suspicious glance.

Returning to our side, Yuei smirked. "Okay, Aniki got Shal to book us a private airship because, frankly, we were all feeling a bit lazy that day. Don't ask about the name, Nobu picked it and he was high off sugar. Now it's ours, so let's hit the sky." Linking an arm with Gon, they skipped towards the hall. I sweat dropped, following at a slower pace.

This seemed way too easy.

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

With a groan, I slowly opened my eyes and took in my surroundings.

Blue curtains swayed with a slight breeze, darker than the walls. I was covered with layers of white bed sheets, propped up with a mountain of pillows, and clothed in the same clothes I found in the hotel bathroom.

"G'morning, bed head. Sleep well?"

I sat up groggily. "Where are we?" My voice was raspy and my throat ached as I coughed. Killua stood from his chair and placed a hand on my forehead. I leaned against the cool skin, shivering.

"You really shouldn't go out in December with wet hair." He scolded, pulling back. "You probably have a cold."

"But…" My back went rigid as I recalled my dream. A pounding began in my head as my mind swam. "B-but…but…"

Killua lifted an eyebrow, looking over his shoulder. "Oi, Gon, is it normal for him to get such a red face?" There was a crash, and then the boy raced into the room like a miniature tornado. "He's getting WORSE?"

"Where are we?" I croaked, repeating my earlier question. They exchanged a glance. Holding a hand to my neck, I frowned. "What? Is there something wrong?"

"We're on an airship." Gon explained. "We're gonna land on that island we went to for vacation, and then get a boat to get back to Whale Island."

"But I wasn't done in Yorkshiin-…" I trailed off to sneeze, and they took the opportunity to exchange another knowing glance. Killua sat at the edge of the bed, picking at the blanket. "What is it that you wanted to do in Yorkshiin?"

"I certainly didn't plan on being an auction item." I muttered. He picked harder at the fabric, making a small hole in it. "Well…I don't think it'd be a good idea to go back anytime soon."

At my raised eyebrow, Gon crossed his arms. "Plan B?"

"Plan B."

"Plan B?" I repeated, leaning away from their stubborn expressions. Killua pointed an accusing finger at me, "We heard you were totally getting cozy with a Spider!"

"YOU CHEATED ON SENSEI!" Gon yelled, bouncing up and down. Stupefied, I stared at them in completely bewilderment before uttering a single word, "Huh?"

He dabbed at nonexistent tears with a tissue, "We're so upset that you took away from the LeoPika ness of it all!"

"Leo…pika?"

"Yes, Gon, leopika?" Killua smacked the boy's head. "Don't make up words!"

Despite my confusion, I couldn't help but smile at their antics. Would going back to Whale Island and staying away from the big city really be all that bad?

_Right after being so close to them._

The smile slipped off my face as I lowered my head, staring tiredly at the pattern in the bed covers. I could almost hear a voice whisper, somewhere near my ear, "_What do _you_ want, for once?_"

"I want…" I mumbled, closing my eyes to the boy's curious glances. "I want…to go home."

And though it wasn't possible for voices to have any physical actions, I thought I felt the voice smile against my ear.

XXX ~POV~

Yuei was bored.

Bored.

Now, she wasn't easily targeted by boredom, a result of experiencing so many exhilarating events in the past 11 years. The 7 years before her first encounter with a Spider were better left forgotten, so she didn't pay much mind to what had happened.

To keep what small amount of sanity she had left, that is.

"I'm so bored…" She whined, pacing around the airship's controls.

After finding the autopilot settings, as well as tiring from steering the ship, Yuei wished she had made Killua or even Gon drive the huge blimp instead.

But _no_.

The chocolate-loving fiend escaped before she could protest (it was quite obvious he liked the concept of watching their blond friend sleep, even if he had no Hisoka-like intentions) and Gon would probably make them sail through _every single freaking cloud_.

Clouds were not made of cotton candy, and if you opened the door to grab a handful, you'd probably end up plummeting to your death many, many miles below. And we wouldn't want that to happen to innocent little Gon Freecs, now would we?

If your answer was yes…well, shame on you. And if your answer was no…

Well, shame on you, too.

Why? Because this is Yuei's mind. That's why.

"Ring, ring, ring, banana phone." She sang half-heartedly, leaning against the window. "Cellular…banana-llular phooone…"

"You really need a better taste in music."

"I don't listen to Mary Poppins on the weekends, at least." She smirked at the annoyed expression on Killua's face from the mirror.

"That was _one_ time…and I didn't know Gon invited you over to babysit that dog with him!"

Snickering, Yuei turned to face him. "Just because Kaida-chan's last name is Inuko doesn't mean she's a dog! That would make Gon either a freak or poop."

"…What the heck?"

"What? Freecs sounds like 'freaks' but at the same time the spelling reminds me of that scientifical name for poop!"

"Only you…only you…" He shook his head disapprovingly, placing his hands against his hips. "Anyways, Kurapika woke up."

She blinked. "…Kurapika?"

"That _is_ his name."

"But you always call him 'that blond thing'!" Yuei complained, flailing her arms wildly. "Everyone was getting fond of that name!"

Looking heavenward, the white-haired boy turned heel and strode away from the tantrum-to-be.

XXX ~Kurapika's POV~

After nearly an entire day in the air, we were finally getting close to Whale Island.

Now, the four of us were staring out at the horizon as our small motorboat neared the docks. We could already make out the shapes of moving fishermen as the sun neared its setting point.

"Mito-san's gonna be so mad." Killua mumbled, steering the boat into an empty spot. "She thinks we're still in Yorkshiin." Tiredly killing the motor, he removed his shoes and hopped into the water. Glaring at the now soaked clothes he was wearing, the white-haired boy began pushing our small boat the rest of the way. While muttering under his breath the whole time, of course.

"Well, think about it this way." Yuei patted his head as she lounged back on a seat, "If you hadn't come back with us, you'd be all alone and the perfect victim of Hisoka's rape sprees."

"You're so obsessed with that clown." Killua teased back. "You keep mentioning him!"

Her mouth fell open. "You…did not just say that. Someone please tell me he did not just imply that I'm obsessed with…with…oh, I can't say it!"

I tuned out of the rest of their conversation, focusing on the slowly approaching land. Already the houses near the shoreline were becoming visible, as well as a few of the residents. Fishermen yelled their final calls, getting ready to call it a day. The last stragglers were heading home, birds were quieting, the island was falling silent to the lapping of the waves.

I gulped, a sudden nervousness grabbing hold of my chest as Gon splashed into the water to pull the boat onto the sand. Yuei pointed towards the space underneath the wooden docks, saying something about stashing the boat between the support beams.

Before long the four of us were trudging up the sandy hill towards home.

Home.

Inwardly sighing, I stuffed my hands into my pockets, fingers twitching anxiously. How was I supposed to face this now? After what I said, I wouldn't be surprised if Leorio didn't want to see me.

"Ah! Killua, don't hit me!"

"There was a bug on your head."

"There was not!"

Yuei chuckled and hooked an arm around my shoulders. "Guys, stop flirting. You made Kurapika sick! Especially you, Killua! 'There was a bug' pfft! Lame!"

She began walking faster, forcing me to quicken my face in order to keep up, as we sped away from the two bickering boys. Once out of ear shot, she shot me an apologetic smile. "Ne, Kurapika. I didn't wanna ruin the happy, relieved atmosphere…but we can't stay here forever anymore."

After a pause, I met her gaze. "I know."

"I doubt Kuroro will stop looking for us, maybe Gon and Killua are safe though. He'll probably come get me first, to fix the jewel. Then get you. They told you the whole story, didn't they? So I might not see you guys for a long while, but when it's over…I'll call you, okay? Then you and Sensei can go get married and ride off on a Unicorn into the sunset!"

Laughing, Yuei dodged my mock punch and took a few steps away. "See ya, Pika."

XXX

I…was on a secret ninja-spy mission.

No, not really. That's just the drugs acting up again. Or so I claim.

In reality, I was hiding behind a bush at the end of the familiar driveway, a bead of sweat sliding down my back as I stared at the familiar porch and familiar steps.

The familiar house.

It seemed to be mocking me, taunting and daring me to go knock on the door or run off like the coward I truly am.

The lights were all off, but the car was parked in its usual spot. As I finally worked up the courage to begin the walk up the sidewalk, the motion-censor lights above the door blinked on and frightened me back behind the bush.

How did I never notice those lights before? Or maybe they were new?

My blood nearly ran cold and the hairs on the back of my neck went up as the door creaked open. I pulled back, holding my breath, watching the street until the lights shut off.

Releasing the breath I hadn't fully realized I'd been holding, I turned to peek back at the porch.

And found myself nose-to-nose with a certain teacher.

"L-…" I chocked, staring at Leorio with a relatively normal expression. Well, as normal as one's expression can be after being caught hiding behind a bush.

He stood up, face straight, and wordlessly began walking towards the porch. I stayed rooted to the spot before he turned to wait for me to catch up.

Matching his long-legged stride, I silently followed him to the porch steps where we sat, staring at the sky. The sun turned the clouds a pink and orange color, and just as it was entering its final stages, I turned to look at Leorio.

The sun's last rays bounced off his face as I licked my dry lips, searching for some coherent words. "Leorio…"

Without turning, he reached out an arm and pulled me against his side.

"You have a lot of homework to make up."

-END-

Yuuki: well, I'm disappointed, too… *uses Leorio plushie as shield* WAIT! DUN THROW THOSE TOMATOES/POTATOES/SOCKS AT ME YET!

Readers: READY

Yuuki: Who gets the chapter name? AND Dun forget to draw YUEI PLEASE! THE MANGA CANNOT GO ON WITHOUT HER (if you post it on DA, send me a link plz? If not, u can e-mail it to me :D) *adds Kurapika plushie to shield*

Readers: AIM

Yuuki: There shall be an epilogue! It'll be up soon! As well as "Alternate Reality" which is the original one-shot that started it all! AND "Missing Realities" which is the random chapters that weren't essential to the plot that I took out to make it shorter! (wince at the uncreative names)

Readers: FIRE!

Yuuki: ALSO! Do you guys want PURE FLUFF or the real deal with a big SPOON OF FLUFF ON TOP? *gets pelted with Tomatoes/Potatoes/Watermelons*

Gon: Please review! *holds umbrella over head*


	32. Epilogue: Surreal Reality

Epilogue: Surreal Reality

"That's so big!"

"It only gets bigger." A smug, slightly sadistic, grin.

"There's no way it'll all fit…"

I stared at the…the…_demon_ in front of me, biting on my lip. It just didn't seem logically possible that so much could fit in one mind…not all at once, at least.

"Let's try it this way." Leorio stood from across the table, placing one hand on the gigantic book nearby and the other on the wall next to my head. He deliberately spoke slowly, drawing out his words. "For every question you get right, you get a treat. For every question you get wrong, a punishment to you and it gets worse with every wrong answer, okay?"

Although my heart was now pounding very nervously, I managed a smirk. "I might purposely get everything wrong then, don't you think?"

Leorio was helping me study for all my missed classes. Yes, study. Why act so surprised? No, there was no innuendo in the first few lines. (Fine, maybe a little.) Such dirty minds…

"First question; what is the capital of Singapore?"

"Oh, that's simple. It's…"

"You have five seconds. Five."

"Eh? You're TIMING me?"

"Four."

"That's not fair!"

"Three."

"Ah! I-It's-"

"One! Time's up."

"What happened to two?" I whined, lips pursed. "That's cheating! You caught me off guard."

He chuckled, leaning closer. "Don't be a sore loser. Take your defeat like a man!" As he slipped his hand from the book to my back, I narrowed my eyes at the evil glint on his face. "Mou…Leorio, when you said 'punishment', you didn't really mean…"

His lips brushed mine, and my eyes instinctively dropped shut. Instead of what I had been expecting in my sick, twisted little fantasy, which I will never admit to, I received a spray of water to the face.

Blinking rapidly, my mouth fell slightly as Leorio chuckled again, holding a spray bottle close to my face.

"What was that?" He snickered. A blush spread across my cheeks, "W-what was what?"

"You were all puckered up and stuff." Amused, he leaned in close again, breath blowing against my heated cheeks. "Like you wanted a kiss."

"A-as if." I stuttered, looking away. With a completely unconvinced "Of course" the teacher continued onto the next question.

"Question two; what is the formula for finding the slope of a line?"

I knew this one!

"Three seconds. Three."

"EH? It's x over-"

"One! You lose, again!"

"Stop skipping two!"

Laughing at my very much still flustered expression, Leorio teased, "You're not very good at this game. There should be a poker version of this game. No, maybe a strip poker version. It'd be so easy to win against you…"

"I can't believe you just said that…" The sad part was that I believed 100% that he just said that. But that's not the point. It never is.

Shying away from the dreaded spray bottle, I (again) didn't expect the so-called punishment Leorio had managed to think up. One of the textbooks was thrust onto my lap as his smirk grew only wider, "Balance that on your head for ten minutes. If it falls, I win this game officially."

My eye twitched as I placed it on my head. Did I mention that we get very thick textbooks? This must weigh a ton!

"Okay! Question three…" He picked up another textbook, flipping through its pages until he found a suitable question. "What does this mean; _Je ne sais pas comment parler anglais._"

I brightened at the new question, inwardly beaming at Leorio's horrible pronunciation.

"Three seconds. Three!"

"It means I don't know how to speak English." Answering quickly, I was delighted at his stumped expression. Then his eyes widened as he realized his mistake, "Hey, wait, I forgot that you-"

"Take your defeat like a man." I mocked and lowered my voice in an attempt to imitate his earlier statement. Leorio placed the book back on the table with slumped shoulders. "Ok, fine. Choose your prize."

Taking a moment to think it over, I guessed he probably wouldn't ask me any French questions again, and so unless I was able to conjure up responses faster, I wouldn't get any more easy passes. Should I waste it on the book on my head or get something better?

Shrugging, I removed the heavy textbook from my head, handing it to him, and trying to blindly fix my flattened hair. Leorio pulled a chair over and began to flip through the next book as I continued to fret over the hair issue. Since when did I care so much about appearances anyway?

"Question four; what type of cloud is this?" He turned the book towards me, covering the name with a hand. Grimacing, I squinted at the grainy image, "It's…uh…"

"Five seconds. Five. Four."

"Don't count so fast…" I grumbled, sliding back with crossed arms and an annoyed expression as I waited the time out. No use killing brain cells over nothing, right?

"Three." He continued, slowly, a grin appearing on his lips. "Two."

My eyebrow twitched once, and I took a guess. "Stratocumulus."

"Wrong-…" Turning the book back towards him, he trailed off. I sat up, "What? Was I right? Huh? Let me see!"

Leorio stood as I did, holding the book high from the reach of my shortness. I jumped with an outstretched hand, my advances causing him to take steps back.

Soon tiring of this game when we ended up in the living room, I jumped onto his back, "Leorio! Let me see!" With an amused laugh, he dropped the book onto the table and grabbed my arm. Spinning in a short circle, I was flung head-over-heel onto the couch.

I held a hand to my forehead, glaring as he continued to laugh. "What's so funny, huh?"

"You're trying so hard." He chuckled, helping me up. As soon as I was on my feet, his laughing quieted and a concerned expression replaced it. "You're even lighter than before."

"It's only been a few weeks." I pulled away, trying to catch my breath without him noticing. "I don't see the problem."

Unconvinced, he placed a hand against my cheek. It was only until his cool skin touched mine that I realized my face must've turned red. Silence pressed down upon the room, squeezing the life from the comfortable atmosphere we had managed to build up.

"You shouldn't overexert yourself, if something so small can cause you to get tired." Leorio said in a low voice, brushing his thumb across my bottom lip. "And you should start eating more. Skipping breakfast every morning isn't very smart, you know."

"There's no time." I lied. "Besides, I'm not hungry in the morning."

Wordlessly, he roughly shoved me back. Sprawled awkwardly, again, across the couch, my eyes widened as he climbed over me, locking my legs into place. Without missing a beat, Leorio snatched up my wrists in one hand and held my arms above my head, his other hand pushing up my shirt.

I flinched, turning away. I didn't need to look to know what he wanted me to see. By now, I had already memorized every detailed little line of the cruel tattoo. His fingers brushed the raw skin, where I had tried many times to rid myself of the horrid image.

Many hours had been spent trying to scrub the ink off, leaving my skin either red or with a nasty bruise. Though only fear of Leorio's rage at the water bill had chased me from the bathroom. Nights were filled scratching at the tattoo, as well. Scratching, scratching, until blood and flakes of skin were crusted beneath my fingernails. Disgusting as it sounds.

Small scars now lined the spider, each kept from healing, though none took away from the 'professionally done' picture.

"Waking up early just to hurt yourself," Leorio traced one of the spider's long legs with a finger, "Instead of eating. You're supposed to be the smart one, aren't you? Do you really think that'll solve anything?"

A small clicking sound broke though the silence, though before I could voice this observation out loud the teacher had captured my attention by pressing his lips to mine.

It started out simple.

At first, I simply allowed him to do as he pleased, closing my eyes to the harsh lamp above us. And then his mouth moved down my jaw, along my neck. I opened my eyes, again to the bright light, and stared in a daze as Leorio's hand slowly crawled further under my shirt.

He made a trail of sloppy, wet kisses down the the edge of my shirt before moving back up to nibble on a bare shoulder. "L-Leorio!" I gasped, struggling against his grasp on my wrists. He ignored me, biting harder on the base of my neck. Trying to pull my arms apart, and failing, I shivered as air brushed my bare stomach. "Leorio!" I repeated, squirming uncomfortably under his weight.

It was this scene they walked in on.

"Hey guys, you didn't answer the door so we just-…let…ourselves…in…" Killua trailed off, dropping the bag of food he'd been carrying. Gon peeked around his shoulder, tilting his head. "Ne, Sensei, Kurapika, why are you copying the movie Killua made us watch?"

…

Duck.

"What are you guys doing here?" Leorio asked casually, as if he wasn't in such a compromising position. Killua continued to stare silently, eyes slightly wider than usual. Gon grinned sheepishly, "We just dropped by to say hi."

Without saying a word, Killua bent down to collect the spilled food. Packing up the bag, he gave a small wave before awkwardly dragging Gon from the room and out the door. I heard the weird clicking sound again, then Gon's complaints as they went down the driveway.

As soon as their footsteps were out of earshot, I turned back towards Leorio. "Could we go back to studying?"

"I'd rather study _you_." He said plainly, as if he hadn't meant for it to be said out loud, but stood up anyways. I took his offered hand and got to my feet, following him back to the kitchen.

We sat at the kitchen table, him grading papers and me trying to get a good grade, silently working our way to the end of the day. About an hour later, I slammed closed a textbook with a sigh. "It's just _too much_."

"It's not that hard if you try. C'mon, Kurapika." Leorio scolded, tapping his pen on the book. "You're almost done."

"I'll finish it tomorrow. It's Saturday. How am I supposed to finish in three days what everyone else learned in three months? I'm going to bed. Good night, Leorio." I pushed back my chair, piled the books and papers to the side, and tiredly dragged myself to my room.

It was still the same as it had been months ago, still lacking too much furniture and just as spacious. Taking a detour to the bathroom and a quick trip to the closet, I was soon burying my face in the bed covers. Trying to get lost in the warmth of the mattress.

A few minutes later and Leorio shuffled into the room, fishing my face out from under the sheets. He leaned his forehead against mine, "Hey, we never finished that game."

"I'm tired." I forced my eyelids to stay open. With the barest trace of a smirk, Leorio pulled away only to climb into the bed and wrap his arms around me. I frowned, "You're not planning on staying there, are you?"

"And if I am?"

"H-hey!" I yelped as his cold feet pressed against mine. "Hey, you're cold!"

He chuckled, tilting my chin up to look at him again. "Earlier, before I sprayed you with the spray bottle, did you really think I was gonna kiss you?"

"No." I growled, pulling my feet away from his cold ones. Leorio smiled, "Do you still want it?"

"No." I grounded out the lie convincingly, wrenching my face from his hand. He might've sighed, I wasn't sure. I couldn't hear well over the pounding of my heart.

Snuggling closer to me with his breath blowing across the top of my head, Leorio was soon fast asleep, leaving me to stare into the dark room. Against my hair he muttered, "I still haven't forgiven you, you know..."

I, too, was soon sleeping, far gone into the land of dreams. Before I was completely gone, I scooted closer to bury my face in the crook of his neck. "I'm sorry..."

"_I love you, I love you. My _Danchou_." Yumeko sang, swinging her legs back and forth as we watched the sun set across the sea. She turned to him with a grin, "Ne, little brother, someday it'll be me and _Danchou_ watching the sunset and singing."_

_The younger Kurapika looked shyly down at his feet. "But…what about me?" Onee-chan would leave? Just her and this Danchou, that didn't include him…_

"_And someday, you'll meet someone special, too." The girl sighed in content, staring up at the darkening sky. "And you'll sit somewhere like this, hand in hand with that someone, and then everything will be alright."_

_He looked up as her smile suddenly turned sad. She chuckled without humor, "Everything will be alright…Everything. Even if not everything is still around."_

_She had known, she had always known. _

_Had always known that reality would come crashing down, turning into something they'd never bothered to imagine. Because it just didn't seem possible, for the real world to be so harsh. For something so wonderful to be bad._

"_I love you, I love you, my sweet." Kurapika mumbled, trying his best to imitate his sister's song. "I love you, I love you, my sin."_

_The sun disappeared into the horizon, leaving the two to watch the moon glow eerily. Yumeko stood, adding, "I love you, I love you, my cruel delight. And even though I am, try to understand. I loathe to be in love with you, my Surreal Reality."_

-END-

Yuuki: I didn't proofread, I'm too lazy…ok…now you can throw the tomatoes/potatoes/socks at me

Killua: pffsh, those are too good for you…we need something worse to throw *looks at Leorio*

Leorio: you're just jealous because I'M more of a main character than YOU are…Go EAT RAMEN! GO!

Yuuki: oh duck these weird dreams have been haunting me ever since I wrote that chapter 'Dream Child'

Gon: *tilts head*

Yuuki: since I've been obsessing about finishing SR, I often fall asleep thinking about it…so I guess that's why. But these scenes keep repeating and repeating, just begging to be written…

Kurapika: it's trying to tell you something…something about not tying all of those loose knots here

Yuuki: I know…

Leorio: this calls for a SEQUEL!

Yuuki: ...y-…wait what? I thought the point was to never trust chocolate pudding! D8

Gon: REVIEW PLEASE!

Yuei: And don't forget to draw me ;D


End file.
